Ultralong Hydroxyapatite Nanowire/Collagen Biopaper with High Flexibility, Improved Mechanical Properties and Excellent Cellular Attachment

Highly flexible hydroxyapatite/collagen (HAP/Col) composite membranes are regarded to be significant for guided bone regeneration application owing to their similar chemical composition to that of natural bone, excellent bioactivity and good osteoconductivity. However, the mechanical strength of the HAP/Col composite membranes is usually weak, which leads to difficult surgical operations and low mechanical stability during the bone healing process. Herein, highly flexible ultralong hydroxyapatite nanowires/collagen (UHANWs/Col) composite biopaper sheets with weight fractions of UHANWs ranging from 0 to 100 % are facilely synthesized. The UHANWs are able to weave with each other to construct a three-dimensional fabric structure in the collagen matrix, providing a strong interaction between UHANWs and an intermolecular force between UHANWs and the collagen matrix. The as-prepared UHANWs/Col composite biopaper exhibits improved mechanical properties and high flexibility. More importantly, the as-prepared highly flexible 70 wt % UHANWs/Col composite biopaper exhibits an excellent cytocompatibility and outstanding cellular attachment performance as compared with the pure collagen and 70 wt % HAP nanorods/Col membranes. In consideration of its superior mechanical properties and outstanding cellular attachment performance, the as-prepared UHANWs/Col composite biopaper is promising for applications in various biomedical fields such as guided bone regeneration.