The effect of chlorotrimethylsilane on bonding of nano hydroxyapatite with a chitosan-polyacrylamide matrix

Stimuli sensitive biodegradable polymers have important applications in the fields of drug delivery and tissue engineering. In this study, biodegradable composite films of chitosan-polyacrylamide-nano hydroxyapatite (Cs-PAAm-nHA) with different concentrations of Chlorotrimethylsilane (CTMS) were fabricated and characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. FTIR and XRD results suggested that CTMS functioned to couple nHA with the Cs-PAAm polymer matrix. The swelling study indicated that the formation of numerous CTMS based inter-chain bridges and pores facilitated water absorption and swelling. Hence, incorporation of CTMS into Cs-PAAm-nHA composites not only improved their stability but also controlled the degradation of the composites, which are important for drug delivery applications. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.