Development of Nano-Hydroxyapatite Polymer Composite and it's in vitro Activity for Biomedical Applications

In present work, the composites of hydroxyapatite with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) were prepared and analyzed for its biodegradability and hemocompatibilty. The individual and the combined combination of polymers with hydroxyapatite (HAP-PVA, HAP-PVP and HAP/PVA-PVP) were characterized by FT-IR, XRD, SEM-EDAX and TGA-DSC analysis. The crystallinity and functional groups of hydroxyapatite (HAP) was confirmed by XRD and FT-IR analysis. The SEM analysis displayed rod shaped morphology and the formation of apatite layer was confirmed by simulated body fluid (SBF) immersion. The Ca/P ratio of the SBF immersed composite was found to be increased to 1.71. This reveals that the polymer in the composite acts as a nucleating site for the development of carbonated hydroxyapatite which chemical composition resembles with natural bone. The hemolysis rate for the composite consisting of HAP/PVA-PVP was found to be less than 3% than the composite consisting of HAP with PVP. Based on these results, it can be concluded that the HAP/PVA-PVP nanocomposite offers superior alternatives in the field of biomedicines.