Physicochemical Properties of Calcium Phosphate–Chitosan Composites and Scaffolds

Abstract

This paper reports a study of the physicochemical properties of composites and scaffolds (synthesized for the first time) based on dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (DCPD, brushite), hydroxyapatite (HA), and chitosan. The crystallite size of the composites has been shown to increase with increasing chitosan concentration in the starting solution. The first technique has been proposed for the fabrication of scaffolds based on brushite, HA, and chitosan gel. The pore size in the scaffolds has been shown to increase with increasing brushite content. Raising the calcination temperature improves the stability of the scaffolds, whereas the composites persist in the form of powder independent of heat treatment. Analysis of the dissolution behavior of the synthesized composites and scaffolds in an isotonic solution indicates that, in the DCPD–chitosan system, the dissolution rate decreases with increasing chitosan concentration, whereas the HA–chitosan system exhibits opposite behavior.