Preparation, characterization and mechanical properties of controlled porous gelatin/hydroxyapatite nanocomposite through layer solvent casting combined with freeze-drying and lamination techniques

In this present study, to mimic the mineral and organic component of natural bone, hydroxyapatite (HA) and gelatin (GEL) nanocomposite was prepared via layer solvent casting combined with freeze-drying and lamination techniques. Glutaraldehyde (GA) was used as cross-linking agent. The synthesized nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite and nanocomposite samples were characterized by the commonly used bulk techniques. The results showed that GEL/HA nanocomposite were porous with 3-dimension interconnected microstructure, pore sizes were 100 mu m to 1 mm, porosity were 75% to 93% and HA particles are dispersed evenly among gelatin fibers. It was also found that increasing initial GEL concentration and HA content enhance the elastic modulus (E) and reduce toughness and affect pore size and morphology. Finally, the stress-strain behavior in compression was very similar to natural spongy bone where the compressive modulus obtained was about 180 MPa.