Effect of calcium phosphate coating on polyamide substrate for biomaterial applications

Abstract

A new type of material from polyamide coated with calcium phosphate was developed aiming to have potential application as biomaterial. Coating was obtained by the sol-gel method and calcium phosphate was obtained after contact with body fluid solution. The coated polyamide (before and after contact with body fluid solution) was characterized by thermogravimetric and differential thermal (TGA/DTA) analyses, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). These characterizations revealed that the calcium phosphate coating has a thickness of less than 3 μm, which resulted in an increase in the melting point and improved the thermal stability of polyamide. After contact with body fluid, the interactions between the coating and the substrate remained, and there was formation of crystalline and amorphous phosphates on polyamide surface. © 2012 Sociedade Brasileira de Química.