Bone-inspired hydroxyapatite nanowire-based bioceramics with superior mechanical performance

The fabrication of hydroxyapatite (HAP)-based bioceramics with similar mechanical performance to bone by traditional sintering process is still challenge. In bone tissues, HAP mineralized collagen fibrils and fiber-oriented microstructure play key roles in superior mechanical performance of bone. Inspired by the fiber-oriented microstructure and biomineralization process of bone, the mineralized HAP-based bioceramics (M-HAP) are successfully fabricated via directional assembly and biomimetic mineralization strategies based on ultralong HAP nanowires. The M-HAP bioceramics show comparable mechanical performance to human cortical bone in terms of flexural strength, tensile strength, Young`s modulus and hardness, which could overcome the issue of mismatched mechanical properties between traditional HAP implants and host bone. In addition, the M-HAP bioceramics also exhibit good cytocompatibility in vitro and no obvious inflammatory response after implantation in vivo. Such bone-inspired bioceramics with both high mechanical property and good biocompatibility have great potential in the field of bone regeneration.