Surface Mineralization of Hydrogels Through Octacalcium Phosphate

Simulated body fluid-induced nucleation and growth of octacalcium phosphate (OCP) on polyvinyl alcohol-hydroxyapatite (HA) hydrogels has been described and discussed in the present manuscript. Bulk mineralization of hydrogels is well reported in the literature for structural tissue engineering applications. However, a good interfacing between hydrogel scaffolds and biological organ, such as bone, could only be achieved through a suitable surface chemistry modification of the scaffold. OCP, a precursor to biological HA, may be an appropriate component of the hydrogel's surface likely to be used as a scaffold for bone tissue engineering