Preparation and characterization of nano-hydroxyapatite/silicone rubber composite

To take advantage of the merits for both hydroxyapatite (HA) and silicone rubber (SR) in medical applications, we developed a novel method to produce a new nano-composite of these two widely used biomaterials. In this work, n-HA (nano-hydroxyapatite) slurry, which was modified by silane coupling agent, was mixed with silicone gum and the nano-composite could therefore be achieved. It is found that the dispersion states of the n-HA particles in SR are homogeneous and the mechanical properties of the composite can be improved significantly. The composites with micrometer HA (p-HA) and SR were taken as the contrast for comparison. We find that the tensile strength of the n-HA/SR composite can be enhanced greatly in comparison with that of the mu-HA/SR composite. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.