Biomimetic apatite formation on chemically modified cellulose templates

Biomimetic precipitation of calcium phosphate phases (Ca-P) from simulated body fluid (1.5 SBF) on the biopolymer cellulose was studied. The basic crystallization behavior was investigated using highly oriented Langmuir-Blodgett films of cellulose activated in Ca(OH)2 solution. Using transmission electron microscopy it was shown that the activated cellulose triggered the formation of nano-crystalline Ca-P phases, whereas spherical nano-aggregates were found on pure cellulose films. The formation of two different Ca-P phases, i.e. octa calcium phosphate (OCP) and hydroxy carbonated apatite (HCA) was found after 7 days in 1.5 SBF. Ca(OH)2 pretreated 3D cellulose fabrics (Lyocell) were homogeneously covered with a 30 *mm thick HCA layer after soaking in 1.5 SBF for 21 days. Thus, chemically pretreated cellulose fabrics with adjustable porosity are considered to be capable to build up novel scaffold architectures for tissue engineering.