Mineralization of Zein Films by Biomimetic Process

The transparent or opaque zein film was prepared by a phase separation method with a zein ethanol aqueous solution.The circular zein film was self-assembled on the air-water interface.According to the images by scanning electron microscopy,the upper surface of film is flat and smooth and the downward surface presents a complex reticulation structure of corn protein fiber.Zein film as a biomimetic mineralization template is used to synthesize calcium phosphate crystals by a bioinspired mineralization process.Randomly oriented apatite crystals appear on the both surfaces of zein film after immersion in lOxsimulated body fluid,and the phase composition and morphology of the deposited calcium apatite are also distinguished from deposited location and immersion time.The phase transformation process from dicalcium phosphate dihydrate into hydroxyapatite(HAp) phase was investigated by X-ray powder diffraction,transmission electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,respectively.Based on the results by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy,the Ca/P ratio of the deposited apatite increases with the transformation from DCPD to HAp.The HAp/Zein films possess the excellent biodegradable structural features,and the coating of HAp crystallites has some potential applications for bone repair and regeneration.