A Novel Method for In Situ Synthesis of Nanostructure Hydroxyapatite–nylon 66 Composites in Tissue Engineering

Abstract

An interfacial polymerization method for nylon 66 was adapted to produce nanostructured composites with nanohydroxyapatite (n-HA) via in situ polymerization. Nylon 66 was synthesized in n-HA slurry to increase homogeneity and biocompatibility. Synthesis powders was characterized by XRD, TEM, TGA, and FT-IR analysis. The results showed a uniform dispersion in composites, whereas needle-like, n-HA crystals dispersed in condensed polymer matrix. The samples were immersed in SBF for bioactivity tests in different periods, and results were monitored by SEM and EDX in terms of forming an apatite layer. The mechanical properties of the n-HA/nylon66 nanocomposites are discussed in terms of n-HA loading.

Keywords:

• biomaterials
• in situ polymerization
• nano hydroxyapatite
• nanocomposites

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the Najafabad Branch, Islamic Azad University for the financial support of this work. The authors wish to thank A. Chami and O. Torabi for the help in laboratory testing and figure preparation, respectively.