Abstract
Microporous ceramic-like materials can be obtained at low temperature (4 to 50 °C) from aqueous suspensions of nanocrytsalline apatite. They were associated with organic macromolecules (albumin, casein, gelatin) and their Young's modulus was determined by ultrasonic transmission technique. Young's modulus of the composites with gelatin and albumin were higher than that of mineral blocks with the same maturation time whereas casein-apatite associations gave weaker Young's modulus. This different behavior was attributed to variations in the porosity of the materials. Such associations may have potential applications as biomaterials.
