Chitosan‐hydroxyapatite‐BIT composite films: Preparation and characterization

Abstract In this article, we present a study of chitosan‐hydroxyapatite‐BIT composite films by combining chitosan (deacetylated degree, 90%) solution and two crystalline materials, HAN (hydroxyapatite (Ca₁₀(PO₄)₆(OH)₂) N for nanocrystalline) and BIT (Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂)). The first one (HAN), is the mineral phase present in human bone, the second one (BIT) is a ferroelectric discovered by Aurivillius in 1949 (Fang, Robbins, and Aurivillius, Physical Review, 126, 3 (1962)). Both BIT and HAN were synthesized by our group using the ball milling process. Combining these two materials (HAN and BIT), we took a series of measurements to identify the composite phases present, and their electric and structural behavior. For the Chitosan composite Q6 (50% BIT + 50% HAN), we achieved at 100 Hz a dielectric constant K ∼3360. The application could be a new biomembrane, which once polarized could be applied to the human skin as curatives or biosensors. POLYM. COMPOS. 28:582–587, 2007. © 2007 Society of Plastics Engineers