Biomimetic Calcium Phosphate Nanoparticles: Biomineralization Models and Precursors for Composite Materials

The formation of calcium phosphate under the control of water-soluble polymers is important for understanding bone growth in living organisms. These experiments also have spin-offs in the creation of composite materials, including for regenerative medicine applications. The formation of calcium phosphate (hydroxyapatite) from calcium chloride and diammonium phosphate was studied in the presence of polymers containing carboxyl, amine, and imidazole groups. Depending on the polymer composition, solid products and stable dispersions of positively or negatively charged nanoparticles were obtained. Oppositely charged nanoparticles can interact with each other to form a macroporous composite material, which holds promise as a filler for bone defects. The formation of a calcium phosphate layer around a living cell (dinoflagellate A. M. Sundström, Kremp et Daugbjerg) using positive composite nanoparticles is a one-step approach to cell mineralization.