Coating of an apatite layer on polyamide films containing sulfonic groups by a biomimetic process

Coating organic polymers with hydroxyapatite is an attractive method for the development of materials for medical applications, as it allows hydroxyapatite to show its unique biological properties such as its ability for bone bonding and protein adsorption. The biomimetic process focuses attention on fabricating such hydroxyapatite–polymer hybrids, where bone-like apatite is deposited on an organic polymer surface in solutions mimicking physiological conditions. In this process, a bone-like apatite layer can be coated onto organic substrates either by using a simulated body fluid (SBF), which has ion concentrations nearly equal to those of human extracellular fluid, or by using fluids that are supersaturated with respect to apatite at ambient conditions. We previously reported that apatite was deposited on polyamide films containing carboxyl groups in a solution mimicking body fluid, when they were incorporated with calcium salts. In the present study, to find an alternative functional group effective in apatite formation, we examined the apatite-forming ability of polyamide films containing sulfonic groups in the same solution. It was found that the polyamide film containing sulfonic groups could deposit apatite on its surface in the solution when the film was incorporated with calcium salts. These results show that the sulfonic group also acts as a functional group, and is as effective for apatite deposition in the body environment as the carboxyl group.