Production of a Brushite/Silk Composite Powder for Coatings

Abstract

The incorporation of protein based polymeric materials with calcium phosphate (CaP) coatings can provide excellent biological characteristics and biocompatibility with its bone-like protein-CaP composition. Calcium chloride-ethanol catalysed hydrolysis reaction and wet precipitation method was used to prepare silk solution and to precipitate brushite respectively to produce the brushite/silk composite powder. FTIR analyses showed that brushite absorption bands were prominent, overlapping the less intense N-H bands in silk. The most distinct absorptions from the silk were N-H bands. 1g of silk additive to the 300 ml of solution media resulted in arbitrary particle attachment onto brushite crystal surface; most of the brushite particles were covered by the silk β-sheets phase.