In-situ formation of the hydroxyapatite/chitosan-alginate composite scaffolds

Porous hydroxyapatite (HAp)/chitosan-alginate composite scaffolds containing different amounts (0, 10, and 30 wt.%) of HAp were successfully synthesized by in-situ co-precipitation method. It was found that the pore structure of the composite scaffolds was similar to chitosan-alginate scaffolds, and the morphology of uniform microstructure was unaffected by the presence of HAp. However, the pore diameter decreased with increasing the HAp content up to 30 wt.%, eventually the pore structure was collapsed and appeared to be agglomerated. The compressive strength of the HAp/chitosan-alginate composite scaffolds increased with increasing of the HAp content.