CHITIN NANOFIBRES AS REINFORCEMENT FOR HYDROXYAPATITE-BASED COMPOSITE PREPARATION

The development and improvement of chitin applications have drawn special attention from the global scientific community due to their extraordinary features and abundance. In this study, β-chitin nanofibres were obtained using the ultrasonication treatment method. Then, hydroxyapatite/nanochitin (HAp/NCh) composites were prepared at different maturation times. In this case, mixtures of various amounts of β-chitin nanofibres (1%, 2%, and 5%) were added during the HAp precipitation approach. The prepared HAp/NCh materials were characterised with Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The surface of prepared specimens was observed using scanning electron microscopy. The presence of nanofibres was confirmed by non-invasive backscattering with dynamic light scattering particle size analysis. Moreover, the synergic effect of chitin nanofibres on the mechanical resistance of HAp-based composite was investigated. The sample with 5% of chitin nanofibres exhibited about 10 times higher compression strength than the pure HAp. All these results essentially indicate that the prepared material can be a potential candidate for bone tissue engineering applications and further development.