Thermal transformations of the mineral component of composite biomaterials based on chitosan and apatite

Composite biomaterials based on chitosan and calcium apatite with different chitosan/apatite ratio were prepared by chemical synthesis of apatite in chitosan solution using one-step co-precipitation method. Initial and annealed samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, FTIR spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy coupled to energy-dispersive electron X-ray spectroscopy. The data obtained suggest that the formation of the calcium-phosphate mineral in chitosan solution is substantially modulated by the chemical interaction of the components; apparently, a part of calcium is captured by chitosan and does not participate in the formation of the main mineral phase. The apatite in the composite is calcium-deficient, carbonate-substituted and is composed of dispersed nano-sized crystallites, i.e. has properties that closely resemble those of bone mineral. Varying synthesis, drying and lyophilization conditions, the composite materials can be produced with the desirable chitosan/apatite ratio, both in the dense and porous form. The structural analysis of composite samples after annealing at certain temperatures is examined as an approach to elucidate the mechanism of co-precipitation by one-step method. (C) 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim