Study of In vitro Bioactivity and Biodegradability of the Hydrothermally Prepared Carbon Nanofibrous/Hydroxyapatite (Cnf/Ha) Membranes.

Abstract

Critical size bone defects are orthopedic defects that will not heal without intervention or that will not completely heal over the natural life time of the animal. Although bone generally has the ability to regenerate completely however, critical defects need sort of scaffold to do so. In the current study, we proposed a method to get a Carbon NanoFibrous (CNFs) / Hydroxyapatite (HA) bioactive scaffold. The CNF nonwoven fabrics were obtained by the use of the electrospinning process of the polymeric solution of Poly Acrylonitrile (PAN) and next thermal treatment of both stabilization and carbonization processes, then the CNFs membranes were functionalized by (6.8 wt.%) HA by the hydrothermal process (130oC for 90 min). The prepared membranes were in-vitro tested for bioactivity in Simulated Body Fluid (SBF) solution and for biodegradability in Phosphate Buffer Saline (PBS) solution. We have successfully prepared a bioactive and biodegradable membrane by immersing it in SBF and PBS solutions respectively for 14 days, where a bioactive layer of Hydroxy-Carbonated Apatite (HCA) was found on its surface. The formed layer of HCA has been characterized by XRD, FTIR, and SEM. The biodegradability of the membranes has been characterized by FTIR, SEM, and ICP for the PBS solution after different time intervals (1, 3, 5, 7 and 14) days. The membrane of (CNF/6%HA) is more biodegradable than other membranes of (CNF, and CNF/8%HA).