Biomorphic Silicon Carbide Coated with an Electrodeposition of Nanostructured Hydroxyapatite/Collagen as Biomimetic Bone Filler and Scaffold

The paper describes the method of preparation and chemical/physical characterization of a new biomaterial to be used as a bone substitute and bone-tissue engineering scaffold, which synergistically joins a porous bio-inspired morphology and the mechanical properties of biomorphic silicon carbide (BioSiC) with the surface bioactivity of a nanostructured hydroxyapatite/collagen biomimetic coating. FT-IR spectroscopy and XRD techniques are utilized to determine the chemical coating’s composition. The morphology and size of the inorganic and protein components are investigated by TEM. The characteristic morphology of BioSiC channels and pores, which differ as a function of the transversal or longitudinal cross-section and with etching time, are investigated by SEM. Natural wood transformed into BioSiC acts as a cathode in an electrochemically assisted process that produces on its surface a biomimetic coating of hydroxyapatite nanocrystals and reconstituted type I collagen fibrils, producing an innovative apatite/collagen biomimetic porous bone filler and scaffold for tissue engineering