Hydroxyapatite formation on titania-based materials in a solution mimicking body fluid: Effects of manganese and iron addition in anatase.

Hydroxyapatite formation on the surfaces of implanted materials plays an important role in osteoconduction of bone substitutes in bone tissues. Titania hydrogels are known to instigate hydroxyapatite formation in a solution mimicking human blood plasma. To date, the relationship between the surface characteristics of titania and hydroxyapatite formation on its surface remains unclear. In this study, titania powders with varying surface characteristics were prepared by addition of manganese or iron to examine hydroxyapatite formation in a type of simulated body fluid (Kokubo solution). Hydroxyapatite formation was monitored by observation of deposited particles with scale-like morphology on the prepared titania powders. The effect of the titania surface characteristics, i.e., crystal structure, zeta potential, hydroxy group content, and specific surface area, on hydroxyapatite formation was examined. Hydroxyapatite formation was observed on the surface of titania powders that were primarily anatase, and featured a negative zeta potential and low specific surface areas irrespective of the hydroxy group content. High specific surface areas inhibited the formation of hydroxyapatite because calcium and phosphate ions were mostly consumed by adsorption on the titania surface. Thus, these surface characteristics of titania determine its osteoconductivity following exposure to body fluid.

Organic nanohybrids for fast and sustainable energy storage.

A nanohybridization strategy is presented for the fabrication of high performance lithium ion batteries based on redox-active organic molecules. The rearrangement of electroactive aromatic molecules from bulk crystalline particles into molecular layers is achieved by non-covalent nanohybridization of active molecules with conductive scaffolds. As a result, nano-hybrid organic electrodes in the form of a flexible self-standing paper-free of binder/additive and current collector-are synthesized, which exhibit high energy and power densities combined with excellent cyclic stability.

Bioactive composites consisting of PEEK and calcium silicate powders.

Bioactive bone-repairing materials with mechanical properties analogous to those of natural bone can be obtained through the combination of bioactive ceramic fillers with organic polymers. Previously, we developed novel bioactive microspheres in a binary CaO-SiO2 system produced through a sol-gel process as filler for the fabrication of composites. In this study, we fabricate bioactive composites in which polyetheretherketone is reinforced with 0-50 vol% 30CaO x 70SiO2 (CS) microspheres. The prepared composites reinforced with CS particles form hydroxyapatite on their surfaces in simulated body fluid. The induction periods of hydroxyapatite formation on the composites decrease with increasing amount of CS particles. The mechanical properties of the composites are evaluated by three-point bending test. The composites reinforced with 20 vol% CS particles show 123.5 MPa and 6.43 GPa in bending strength and Young's modulus, respectively.