Electrospun PHBV nanofibers containing HA and bredigite nanoparticles: Fabrication, characterization and evaluation of mechanical properties and bioactivity

Abstract In this study, hydroxyapatite (HA), bredigite (BR) and hydroxyapatite/bredigite (HABR) (50/50) nanoparticles were synthesized using sol–gel method and characterized by X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) or PHBV nanofibers containing different concentrations (0, 5, 10 and 15%) of HA or BR or HABR nanoparticles were prepared by electrospinning process. Physiochemical properties of the prepared nanofibers were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Evaluation of their mechanical properties showed that the addition of 10% of any one of the above mentioned nanoparticles to PHBV produced composite nanofibers with regard to their tensile strength and Young's modulus. PHBV containing either 10% HA or 10% HABR showed higher mechanical strength and Young's modulus than the PHBV fibers incorporated with 10% BR. At the same time, studies on the ability of bone formation of the nanofibers in simulated body fluid (SBF) confirmed higher bone-like apatite formation on PHBV fibers containing either 10% HABR or BR compared to the HA composite. We concluded that the 10% HABR incorporated PHBV nanofibers possess optimized mechanical properties with high ability for apatite formation, thus potentially suitable as a novel substrate for bone regeneration application compared to the most commonly studied HA composite fibers.