Synthesis and characterization of novel bio-material: Nano composites of hydroxyapatite and curcumin

Hydroxyapatite/curcumin nano-composites were synthesized by surfactant mediated approach. As hydroxyapatite is a bio-mineral with various bio-medical applications, the composites were made with natural pigment curcumin having numerous therapeutic applications and characterized it using various analytical techniques like powder XRD, FT-IR, TEM, TGA, CHN, and Impedance spectroscopic studies. Impedance spectroscopy study suggested the effect of grain and grain boundary for pure hydroxyapatite, while only the grain effect was observed for the composites. Hemolytic and antimicrobial activities were carried out suggesting that the samples were safer to use medically. The bio-activity study was conducted using Simulated Body Fluid (SBF) invitro indicating increased bio-activity in terms of increased formation of apatite layer.