Journal
POLYMERS FOR ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES
Volume 32, Issue 3, Pages 1372-1379Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1002/pat.5183
Keywords
biomaterial; calcium phosphate; hydrogel; nanocomposite; Pluronics
Categories
Funding
- National Institutes of Health [T32 GM08515]
- National Science Foundation [0504485, 0531171, 0654128, 1922639]
- Direct For Education and Human Resources
- Division Of Graduate Education [1922639] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
- Direct For Education and Human Resources
- Division Of Graduate Education [0504485, 0654128] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
- Div Of Civil, Mechanical, & Manufact Inn
- Directorate For Engineering [0531171] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
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The study successfully synthesized nanocrystalline calcium phosphate minerals in commercially available block copolymer gels, forming composites with different crystal structures. These composites contained nano-sized particles of calcium hydrogen phosphate hydrate similar to natural bone apatite and exhibited high storage moduli.
Significant research has been directed toward producing composites that mimic the micro- to nanoscale structure of bone tissue, and it remains a challenge to develop synthetic strategies to create cost-effective biocomposite materials with nanoscale inorganic domains. In this paper, we report the synthesis of nanocrystalline calcium phosphate minerals in situ in gels of a commercially available block copolymer, Pluronic F127 (F127). Although solutions of F127 have previously been explored as a templating agent for calcium phosphate mineralization, here we demonstrate the synthesis of nano-sized calcium hydrogen phosphate hydrate directly in F127 gels. Composites formed at pH 7 contained highly crystalline, millimeter-scale crystals of brushite, while composites created at an initial pH of 11 contained nanoscale particles of a calcium hydrogen phosphate hydrate similar to natural bone apatite in morphology and size, with a mean particle diameter of 120 nm. The in situ composites have storage moduli of 15-25 kPa, which is comparable to mechanically processed hydrogel composites containing four times more inorganic material. We believe that our synthetic strategy may provide a new class of versatile and cost-effective nanostructured biomaterials for use in understanding and replicating mineralized tissues.
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