γ-Radiation Assisted Fabrication of Hydroxyapatite-Polyacrylamide Nanocomposites with Possible Application in Bone Implantology

Hydroxyapatite (HA) impregnated poly-(acrylamide) nanocomposites were synthesized using gamma-radiations and the prepared composites were characterized by different instrumental techniques. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy studies revealed the presence of carbonated HA, while the X-ray diffraction analysis showed the mean particle size of HA to be nearly 6.53 nm and width 1.278 nm. The nanosize of the hydroxyapatite crystals were also confirmed by Transmission electron microscopy analysis. The crystallinity of material was found to be 76.10% with interchain separation between 0.1998 and 0.1933 nm for native HA and HA nanocomposites, respectively. Thermogravimetric analysis studies resulted in the thermogram that resembled with that of the natural bone. Scanning electron microscope results revealed the pore size of prepared composite ranging between 50 and 100 mm. The modulus and compressive strength of prepared materials were found to be 726.40 and 39.55 MPa, respectively. Water uptake capacity of the prepared nanocomposites was quantified in terms of swelling ratio and the data were used to calculate network parameters of HA-PAm composites. The in vitro - blood compatibility results confirmed a fair level of blood compatibility of the prepared composites.