Tanahashi M, Kokubo T, Nakamura T, Katsura Y, Nagano M
Division of Material Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Kyoto University, Japan.
Biomaterials. 1996 Jan;17(1):47-51. doi: 10.1016/0142-9612(96)80754-x.
A dense and uniform apatite layer about 20 microns thick was formed on a poly(ether sulphone) (PESF) substrate treated with glow discharge in O2 gas by a biomimetic process. The apatite-polymer composite obtained was implanted into a rabbit tibia and the structure of the PESF-apatite-bone interface was observed under a scanning and a transmission electron microscope 8 weeks after implantation. The apatite layer formed by the biomimetic process was confirmed to consist of small crystals of apatite with a structure similar to that of apatite in bone. The apatite layer remained on the substrate in the body, and bonded to the apatite in bone directly. This type of apatite-organic polymer composite expected to be useful as bone-repairing material.
