A collagen(Col)/nano-hydroxyapatite (nHA) biological composite bone scaffold with double multi-level interface reinforcement

Introduction: Bone scaffold is expected to possess excellent mechanical and biological properties similar to natural bone tissues. In this study, we aimed to prepare a biomineralized Col and hydroxyapatite composite scaffold consisting of biomimetic bone components and multi-level bionic bone structure to strengthen its mechanical properties.Methods: We prepared a Col/nano-hydroxyapatite biological composite scaffold with multilevel structure (from nanofibers to micron bionic bone motif to bionc bone scaffold) of biomimetic bone tissue, and biomineralized the scaffold in simulated body fluid (SBF) preheated to 37 degrees C. Xray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Scanning electron microscope, were used to characterize the biomineralized products.Results: Morphological study confirmed in situ deposition of nHA in the multi-scale hierarchical structure of the biomineralized scaffold. We explored the biomineralization nucleation mechanism of the scaffolds at the atomic level based on the first principles and the mechanisms for growth of mineralized nHA crystal array in its multi-scale structure, and how the double multiscales structure strengthened the mechanical properties of the material. Conclusions: This synthetic bone scaffold, with bionic bone composition and double multi-level interface reinforcement, provides a new strategy for synthesizing bioactive bone scaffolds with enhanced biomechanical properties.(c) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of King Saud University. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Automated summary

This study successfully prepared a biomineralized bone scaffold with bionic bone composition and double multi-level interface reinforcement, and explored its multi-scale structure and mechanisms for enhancing mechanical properties through characterization and theoretical analysis.