Induced Electroactive Response of Hydroxyapatite: A Review

Owing to electroactive nature of living bone, the development of bone-mimicking mechano-electrically active prosthetic implants are in continuous thrust. Hydroxyapatite (HA) has long been studied for its osteoconductive behaviour due to its compositional and structural similarity with the bone apatite. Since last two decades, the understanding and development of induced electroactive response in HA have attracted the attention of scientific community. One of the promising features of HA includes the formation of electret. The present article summarizes the origin/mechanism of electroactive response of HA from its structural point of view as well as based on the studies conducted by thermally stimulated depolarization current (TSDC) and other measurements. Further, the surface charge-induced accelerated cellular growth and proliferation on HA has been elaborately discussed in vitro and in vivo.