Paper BI-ThP1
HAp/Chitosan Composites from Electrospinning Technique

Thursday, October 18, 2007, 5:30 pm, Room 4C

Human bone is a hidroxyapatite HAp (HCa₅O₁₃P₃) and collagen based composite. Actually many methods and techniques have been developed and applied to design advanced materials for bone replacent. An stratergy to biomimic bone tridimentional structure, composition and mechanical properties is mimic it at nanoscale. In other words, selectively incorporate nano particules of apatites into a polymeric matrix by controlling structure and composition of the fibres. In this work we present the preliminary results of HAp/Chitosan composites prepared via electrospinning technique. Chitosan fibers were spun from aqueous solutions (pH= 3) and nano particles of HAp were added prior to the deposition. Prior and after the deposition the compositional and structural characteristics were verified by using scanning electron microscopy SEM, energy dispersive spectroscopy EDS, x-ray diffraction XRD, Raman spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy FTIR. Energy dispersive spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction confirmed that the mineral deposits were hydroxyapatite and calcium phosphate monobasic MCP (CaH₄ O₈ P₂), both of them apatites present in bone while Fourier transform infrared studies FTIR showed the characteristic 1220-1020 cm^-1 chitosan region in agreement with Raman results.