Alginate-hydroxyapatite Beads for Medical Application

The paper describes the synthesis and characterization of alginate-hydroxyapatite (Alg/HA) beads that potentially can be used for drug release due to the adsorptive properties of HA and transmission ability of the soluble compounds through the alginate membrane. Calcium Alg/HA beads were manufactured by dropping of the Alg/HA suspension into CaCl2 solution. Morphology and phase composition of obtained Alg/HA beads were investigated. It was shown that alginate macromolecules influence the hydroxyapatite size and morphology. Obtained HA with crystal size 15-30 nm inside alginate beads correspond a bioapatite size therefore are interesting for the tissue engineering. The main features of alginate-controlled crystallization are discussed in order to understand some aspects in composite material design. Insertion of HA into the alginate microcapsules allows use such materials for production of drug release microspheres