Growth of Hydroxyapatite Crystals on Gelatin-Chitosan Capped Silver Nanoparticles

In this article we present the growth of hydroxyapatite (HAP) on gelatin-chitosan-silver nanocomposite by employing wet precipitation methods. The characteristic functionalities of gelatin-chitosan composites and hydroxyapatite were studied using FTIR spectroscopy. Avoidable nano structures have been revealed through SEM, whereas TEM micrographs reveal flower shaped nanocomposite with size in the range of 2 to 5 nm. The XRD pattern of the nanocomposite is comparable with that of HAP. As gelatin contains carboxylic groups on its backbone, calcium ions can interact and bind with these groups and thus acts like a gateway for the formation of HAP nanocrystals. The EDX study revealed the Ca/P ratio as 1.64 which is in good agreement with the expected stoichiometry based on the chemical structure of HAP. TGA studies have also confirmed the quantitative presence of HAP in the composite. The result shows that silver nanoparticle with gelatin and chitosan forms a matrix for the growth of HAP and the mineralized gelatin-chitosan can be used as an osteoinductive material in the bone tissue repair and regeneration.