The effect of chlorotrimethylsilane on bonding of nano hydroxyapatite with a chitosan–polyacrylamide matrix Original Research Article

Stimuli sensitive biodegradable polymers have important applications in the fields of drug delivery and tissue engineering. In this study, biodegradable composite films of chitosan–polyacrylamide–nano hydroxyapatite (Cs–PAAm–nHA) with different concentrations of Chlorotrimethylsilane (CTMS) were fabricated and characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. FTIR and XRD results suggested that CTMS functioned to couple nHA with the Cs–PAAm polymer matrix. The swelling study indicated that the formation of numerous CTMS based inter-chain bridges and pores facilitated water absorption and swelling. Hence, incorporation of CTMS into Cs–PAAm–nHA composites not only improved their stability but also controlled the degradation of the composites, which are important for drug delivery applications.