Surface modification of hydroxyapatite with poly(methyl methacrylate) via surface-initiated ATRP

This article describes the fabrication of hydroxyapatite (HAP) nanocomposites grafted with poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). Surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of methyl methacrylate (MMA) was carried out from hydroxyapatite particles derivatized with ATRP initiators. The structure and properties of the nanocomposites were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) measurements, and contact angle analyses. TGA was used to estimate the grafting density of ATRP initiators (0.49 initiator/nm2) and the amount of grafted PMMA on the HAP surface. The contact angle analyses indicated that grafting PMMA onto the HAP surface dramatically increased the hydrophobicity of the surface. Moreover, the HAP nanocomposites showed excellent dispersibility in both aqueous solution and organic solvent.

Research highlights► Hydroxyapatite (HAP) was firstly surface grafted with poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) via atom transfer radical polymerization. ► The surface-grafted HAP nanocomposites had 48.7% grafting PMMA amount in a relatively short reaction time. ► A polymer layer coated HAP particles and dramatically increased the hydrophobicity of the surface. ► The surface-grafted HAP nanocomposites showed excellent dispersibility in both aqueous solution and organic solvent.