Templated Formation of Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticles from Self-Assembled Nanogels Containing Tricarboxylate Groups

• Main Authors: Kazunari Akiyoshi, Shin-Ichi Sawada, Kei Kurosu, Setsuko Yamane, Yoshihiro Sasaki
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2012-04-01
• Series: Polymers
• Subjects: nanogel; hydroxyapatite; organic-inorganic hybrid; calcium phosphate
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/4/2/1056

Nanosized hydroxyapatite (HAp) materials have received much attention in the context of their advanced biomedical applications, including tissue engineering and drug delivery systems. Hybridization of nanosized HAp with organic molecules is a promising approach to facilitate the preparation of HAp nanomaterials. Here, templated mineralization using self-assembled nanogels modified with tricarboxylate groups was performed to yield the hybrid HAp nanomaterial. In the pH gradient method, the nanogel acted as an excellent template for the formation of well-dispersed HAp particles. Transmission electron microscopy, selected area electron diffraction patterns and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy of these particles revealed that amorphous nanoparticles of amorphous calcium phosphate formed first, followed by transformation to crystalline hydroxyapatite.