Design of Bone-bonding Organic-inorganic Hybrids Utilizing Chemicovector

Abstract

Natural bone is a kind of organic-inorahnic hybrid composed of hydroxyapatite and fibrous collagen. Organic-inorganic hybrids mimicking such a structure is useful for bone substitutes exhibiting bone-bonding ability and high flexibility. Biomimetic process is known where hydroxyapatite is deposited on materials having functional groups with ability to induce the apatite nucleation in a solution mimicking body fluid. This apatite formation is governed by chemicovector induced by movement of ions on material surfaces. In this paper, we review development of organic-inorahnic hybrids by biomimetic process.