Rapid Biomimetic Mineralization of Hydroxyapatite-g-PDLLA Hybrid Microspheres

Hydroxyapatite-graft-poly(D,L-lactide) (HA-g-PDLLA) nanoparticles were synthesized here to fabricate hybrid microspheres with diameter in the range of 150-200 μm by emulsion solvent evaporation techniques. The as-obtained microspheres were treated with alkaline solution in order to selectively degrade the PDLLA layer which covered on the surface of hybrid microspheres and instead to generate a dense coating of HA nanoparticles. The hybrid microspheres with enriched HA nanoparticles on the surface were further immersed in simulated body fluid (SBF) solution to evaluate the bone-forming ability of the bioactive hybrid microspheres via the in vitro biomimetic mineralization process. The resultant microspheres were analyzed by using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) to understand the nucleation and growth of bioactive calcium phosphate (Ca-P) crystals as a function of surface treatment. Results in this work clearly demonstrated that the existing HA nanoparticles on the surface of hybrid microspheres after alkaline treatment greatly affect the growth of the bone-like Ca-P crystals in SBF solutions. The biomimetic hybrid microspheres were found to be excellent candidates for use as injectable scaffolds for bone tissue engineering.