Preparation of biologically active materials by biomimetic process

Abstract

In order to form the apatite nuclei on a surface of the substrate, the substrate was placed on or in CaO, SiO₂-based glass particles which were soaked in a simulated body fluid with ion concentrations nearly equal to those of human blood plasma, and to make the apatite nuclei grow on the substrate in situ, the substrate was soaked in another solution highly supersaturated with respect to the apatite. The induction period for the apatite nucleation varied from 0 to 4 days depending on the kind of the substrate. The thickness of the apatite layer increases linearly with increasing soaking time in the second solution. The rate of growth of the apatite layer increases with increasing degree of the supersaturation and temperature of the second solution, reaching 7 um/d in a solution with ion concentrations which is as 1.5 times as those of the simulated body fluid at 60°C. The adhesive strength of the apatite layer to the substrate varies depending on the kind and roughness of the substrate. Polyethyleneterephthalate and polyethersulfone plates abraded with No. 400 diamond paste show adhesive strengths of as high as 4 MPa. This type of composite of the bone-like apatite with metals, ceramics and organic polymers might be useful not only as highly bioactive hard tissue-repairing materials with analogous mechanical properties to those of the hard tissues, but also as highly biocompatible soft tissue-repairing materials with ductility.

Keywords

bioactive materials / biomimetic process / preparation / apatite nucles

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