On the synthesis of tailored biomimetic hydroxyapatite nanoplates through a bioinspired approach in the presence of collagen or chitosan and L-arginine

Controlling the structure of hydroxyapatite nanocrystals is vital for acquiring a consistent product. In an effort to synthesize crystals mimicking the morphology of natural bone's apatite, a bioinspired process was developed based on the use of a natural biomacromolecule, collagen or chitosan, in conjunction with L-arginine to direct the formation of hydroxyapatite from H₃PO₄ and Ca(OH)₂. Different cases were investigated by employing various concentrations of the precursors and two molar ratios of Ca/P 1/1 and 10/6. The reaction was carried out at basic pH conditions and at biomimetic temperature (40 °C). The resulting aqueous suspensions were characterized in terms of their rheological behavior, whereas the derived powders were fully evaluated by transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis and Raman spectroscopy. The analysis showed that in all cases, the only phase detected was hydroxyapatite of a plate-like morphology very similar to that of natural apatite. The homogeneity of the morphology and the crystal size distribution depend on the precursors' final concentration with the mean size ranging from 5 nm up to 20 nm. The powder that demonstrated the best characteristics in terms of homogeneity was that produced in the presence of collagen for molar ratio of Ca/P 1/1. - Highlights: • Hydroxyapatite nanoplates similar to those of bone's apatite were developed. • A novel approach simulating the biomineralization environment was developed. • L-Arginine was combined with collagen or chitosan to direct HAp nucleation. • Depending on reaction conditions a very homogeneous nanostructure is attained