A study of the bioactivity, hemocompatibility and antimicrobial properties of a zinc oxide and calcium phosphate composite for bone regeneration

Abstract

The need for the reconstruction of large bone defects is an issue that arouses great interest in the field of materials science. The development of synthetic grafts similar to bone tissue is a promising option. Thus, this study proposes the synthesis of a zinc oxide and calcium phosphate composite in order to evaluate both its properties and its potential for bone applications. The synthesis of the HAp/TCP@ZnO composite was carried out in two stages; first, the precipitation method was employed. In the second stage, the ZnO was incorporated into the powder produced in the first stage. After the characterization of the material, the presence of HAp in its X-ray diffractogram as the major phase and TCP as the secondary phase was verified; moreover, ZnO peaks were also detected. Tests in a simulated body fluid indicated that the composite was highly bioactive, whereas hemolysis tests confirmed its non-toxicity. The addition of 10.0% of ZnO to the biomaterial provided it with antimicrobial properties.