Mechanisms of calcium phosphates formation on inorganic nanomaterials. A biomimetic synthetic route for multifunctional nanocomposites for hard tissue regeneration
Principal investigator
M
D
Population ageing and modern lifestyle leads to the increased frequency and consequently growing importance of hard tissues (bone and teeth) diseases. Often the only treatment of such diseases is implantation with the aim to regenerate affected tissue. To prevent failures of the hard tissue implants, new and innovative multifunctional implant materials are sought which, in addition to improved osteoinductive and mechanical properties, will act as local drug delivery system. In this sense, composite materials seems to be materials of choice. In order for these materials to be fully functional and to rationalize their design, the interactions between components should be fully understood. This very often is not the case and success stories are commonly result of empirical not systematic approach. New hard tissue regeneration biomaterials emerging in recent years are composite materials based on calcium phosphates (CaPs) and different inorganic nanomaterials (NMs). The aim of the proposed project is to systematically investigate the CaPs interactions with two types of inorganic NMs; i) titanium dioxide NMs of different morphology (nanoparticles, nanotubes, nanowires, nanoplates) and ii) silver nanoparticles of different surface modifications, in order to determine relationship between NMs interface properties (surface modification, morphology, surface charge density, crystal structure) and the properties of forming CaPs solid phase at conditions close to physiological. In addition, the influence of albumin and chitosan on the formation of CaP/NMs composites will be investigated and potential for their application will be determined using immunocompatibility and hemocompatibility tests. The proposed research will enable a deeper insight into precipitation processes on nanosurfaces, which will provide a rational approach not only in biomimetic synthesis of novel biocomposites for hard tissue regeneration but also in synthesis of materials for different applications.