Composition‐controlled nanocomposites of apatite and collagen incorporating silicon as an osseopromotive agent

Abstract The development of a novel biocomposite of apatite (Ap) and collagen incorporating low‐level additions of silicon (Si) as an osseopromotive agent is detailed. Designed to mimic the structural and compositional characteristics of developing bone, this composite is produced via a coprecipitation method, through which the weight percentage of Ap (i.e., the Ap/collagen ratio) can be varied. Coprecipitates produced at Ap contents of 80 wt % (Ap/collagen = 4:1), 60 wt % (Ap/collagen = 3:2), and 40 wt % (Ap/collagen = 2:3) Ap showed markedly different morphologies, ranging from ceramic‐like particulates to rope‐like macro‐fibrils; at all three Ap contents, however, the nanostructural features of the composites remained qualitatively indistinguishable, with equiaxed Ap nanocrystals distributed randomly throughout a matrix of amorphous collagen. Si incorporation was observed to occur preferentially in the collagenous phase—a result with potential impact on local controlled release of Si. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res, 2005