Biomimetic coating of an apatite layer on poly(L-lactic acid); improvement of adhesive strength of the coating.

A biodegradable polymer coated with a bonelike apatite layer on its surface would be useful as a scaffold for bone tissue regeneration. In this study, poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) was treated with oxygen plasma to produce oxygen-containing functional groups on its surface. The plasma-treated specimen was then alternately dipped in aqueous CaCl(2) and K(2)HPO(4).3H(2)O solutions three times, to deposit apatite precursors onto the surface. The surface-modified specimen then successfully formed a dense and uniform bonelike surface apatite layer after immersion for 24 h in a simulated body fluid with ion concentrations approximately equal to those of human blood plasma. The adhesive strength between the apatite layer and the specimen surface increased as the power density of the oxygen plasma used increased. The maximum adhesive strength of the apatite layer to the specimen was significantly higher than that to the commercially available artificial bone, HAPEX. The resultant bonelike apatite-PLLA composite would be useful as a scaffold for bone tissue regeneration.