In situ preparation of iron oxide nanoparticles in natural hydroxyapatite/chitosan matrix for bone tissue engineering application

Magnetic materials inside bone scaffolds are known to be a promoting factor for bone healing especially when the therapy is accompanied by application of external magnetic stimulation. In this study we employed a new route to synthesize iron oxide nanoparticles inside hydroxyapatite/chitosan bone scaffolds. Hydroxyapatite and chitosan are both natural compounds and were prepared from bovine cortical bone and shrimp shell, respectively. The morphology and composition of the synthesized materials were characterized employing scanning electron microscopy and FTIR spectroscopy. The iron oxide mean particle size inside the scaffold matrix was estimated to be in the range of 10–40 nm by particle size analyzer and transmission electron microscopy. The X-ray powder diffraction pattern indicated that the magnetite crystal size was about 23.5 nm. Magnetic measurements specified that the saturated magnetic intensity (Ms) was approximately 3.04 emu/g and the coercive force was 128.39 Oe. The results revealed that the as-prepared magnetite was super-paramagnetic.