In situ synthesised TiO2-chitosan-chondroitin 4-sulphate nanocomposites for bone implant applications.

The artificial materials for bone implant applications are gaining more importance in the recent years. The series titania-chitosan-chondroitin 4-sulphate nanocomposites of three different concentrations (2:1:x, where x- 0.125, 0.25, 0.5) have been synthesised by in situ sol-gel method and characterised by various techniques. The particle size of the nanocomposites ranges from 30-50 nm. The bioactivity, swelling nature, and the antimicrobial nature of the nanocomposites were investigated. The swelling ability and bioactivity of the composites is significantly greater and they possess high zone of inhibition against the microorganisms such as Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. The cell viability of the nanocomposites were evaluated by using MG-63 and observed the composites possess high cell viability at low concentration. The excellent bioactivity and biocompatibility makes these nanocomposites a promising biomaterial for bone implant applications.