Fabrication and characterization of graphene oxide/fluorhydroxyapatite composite materials for biomedical applications

摘要

Hydroxyapatite (HA) has been currently used for bone repair or regeneration due to its similar chemical composition, crystallinity and morphology to bone minerals. However, its mechanical strength is insufficient for major load bearing implants. Additionally, the higher dissolution of HA in physiological environment also limits its application. Thus in order to overcome these disadvantages, the fabrication of HA composite materials should be one of possible solutions. In this work, the graphene oxide (GO) as a nanofiller is introduced to fabricate the HA composite material. Meanwhile, OH" groups of HA are partially substituted by F" ions using an in situ synthesis method. The graphene oxide/fluorhydroxyapatite (GO/FHA) powder is consolidated through spark plasma sintering technology. FTIR, XPS, XRD, SEM and TEM are used to characterize the obtained GO/FHA composite material. Compared with HA, the GO/FHA displays an increased mechanical strength and decreased solubility. Moreover, the addition of GO and the partial substitution of F" also increase the bioactivity of HA based on cell viability tests. Therefore, the GO/FHA composite is expected to be a promising material for orthopedic implants.