Synthesis of intercalated lamellar hydroxyapatite/gelatin nanocomposite for bone substitute application

Hydroxyapatite (HAp)/polymer composites have been widely investigated for bone substitute applications in recent years. Inspired by the arrangement of ordered organic and inorganic layers in natural bones and seashells, for the first time a novel intercalated nanocomposite of gelatin and lamellar HAp was prepared via solution intercalation process. X‐ray diffraction (XRD) results showed that the basal spacing of HAp lamellas enlarged by 3.0 nm from 3.1 nm to 6.1 nm, indicating that the gelatin molecules had been intercalated into the gallery of lamellar HAp. The microstructures of pure lamellar HAp and intercalated gelatin/HAp nanocomposite were observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR) analysis revealed that there were chemical interactions between gelatin molecules and HAp. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) results confirmed that thermal stability of the composites was enhanced.