Fabrication of Graphene Nanoplatelet-Incorporated Porous Hydroxyapatite Composites: Improved Mechanical and in Vivo Imaging Performances for Emerging Biomedical Applications

Abstract

Three-dimensional nanocomposites exhibit unexpected mechanical and biological properties that are produced from two-dimensional graphene nanoplatelets and oxide materials. In the present study, various composites of microwave-synthesized nanohydroxyapatite (nHAp) and graphene nanoparticles (GNPs), (100 – x )HAp– x GNPs ( x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, and 0.5 wt %), were successfully synthesized using a scalable bottom-up approach, that is, a solid-state reaction method. The structural, morphological and mechanical properties were studied using various characterization techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and universal testing machine (UTM). XRD studies revealed that the prepared composites have high-order crystallinity. Addition of GNPs into nHAp significantly improved the mechanical properties. Three-dimensional nanocomposite 99.5HAp–0.5GNPs exhibited exceptionally high mechanical properties, for example, a fracture toughness of ∼116 MJ/m 3 , Young’s modulus of ∼98 GPa, and compressive strength of 96.04 MPa, which were noticed to be much greater than in the pure nHAp. The MTT assay and cell imaging behaviors were carried out on the gut tissues of Drosophila third instars larvae and on primary rat osteoblast cells for the sample 99.5HAp–0.5GNPs that have achieved the highest mechanical properties. The treatment with lower concentrations of 10 μg/mL on the gut tissues of Drosophila and 1 and 5 μg/mL of this composite sample showed favorable cell viability. Therefore, owing to the excellent porous nature, interconnected surface morphology, and mechanical and biological properties, the prepared composite sample 99.5HAp–0.5GNPs stood as a promising biomaterial for bone implant applications.

Antiviral performance of graphene-based materials with emphasis on COVID-19: A review

“…These unique properties of graphene and its derivatives have made these nanostructured materials suitable for various biological and medical applications [168] including anti-pathogenic applications [169] , [170] , [171] , [172] , [173] , [174] , [175] , [176] , [177] , biosensors [178] , [179] , [180] , [181] , [182] , [183] , [184] , bioimaging [185] , [186] , [187] , [188] , [189] , [190] , [191] , [192] , tissue engineering [193] , [194] , [195] , [196] , drug delivery [197] , [198] , [199] , [200] , [201] . Therefore, the interactions between graphene materials and viruses should be of great interest.…”

Mechanisms and biological impacts of graphene and multi‐walled carbon nanotubes on Drosophila melanogaster: Oxidative stress, genotoxic damage, phenotypic variations, locomotor behavior, parasitoid resistance, and cellular immune response

“…It was thought that the side effects associated with genotoxicity caused by exposure to graphene and MWCNTs were mainly caused by the effects on the DNA level and the development of carcinogenesis (Guo et al, 2012). However, it is noteworthy that there is a controversy regarding potential genotoxicity because both genotoxic and non‐genotoxic effects have been reported (Demir, 2020b; Demir, Marcos, 2018b; Hu & Zhou, 2013; Kermanizadeh et al, 2016; Kumar et al, 2019; Pandey et al, 2019; Priyadarsini et al, 2019; Sood et al, 2019; Zou et al, 2016). The presence of many factors such as characterization, concentration, exposure time, route of exposure, dispersion employed to dissolve nanotubes, and the end‐point used in analyses could explain a range of reported effects (Hartmann et al, 2015).…”

Influence of sonication on the physicochemical and biological characteristics of selenium-substituted hydroxyapatites

“…3,4 Many different approaches are being followed to improve the mechanical resistance, thermal stability, and biocompatibility of HAP by replacing some of the Ca 2+ ions in its crystal lattice with metal ions such as Ag, Ti, Mg, Zn, Mn, Se, Sr, etc., in which the [metal]/ [Ca] molar ratio has a significant influence on the fundamental properties. [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] In addition, the synthesis of HAP via various routes, including precipitation, sonochemical, hydro-/solvothermal, solid-state, sol-gel, self-propagating combustion synthesis, and emulsion/micro-emulsion synthesis, can generate particles with different properties, such as size, shape, surface charge and functionality, thermal and mechanical strength, biocompatibility, biodegradability, etc. [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] This tailoring of HAP's properties could make it a suitable implant material for the regeneration of bone tissues via increased osteogenesis or as a surface coating material to improve the bioactivity of implants.…”

“…[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] In addition, the synthesis of HAP via various routes, including precipitation, sonochemical, hydro-/solvothermal, solid-state, sol-gel, self-propagating combustion synthesis, and emulsion/micro-emulsion synthesis, can generate particles with different properties, such as size, shape, surface charge and functionality, thermal and mechanical strength, biocompatibility, biodegradability, etc. [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] This tailoring of HAP's properties could make it a suitable implant material for the regeneration of bone tissues via increased osteogenesis or as a surface coating material to improve the bioactivity of implants.…”

“…6 In a similar study, a mixed composite of nano-HAP (99.5 wt%) and graphene nanoparticles (0.5 wt%) in three-dimensional form resulted in an exceptionally strong material (with a fracture toughness of B116 MJ m À3 , Young's modulus of B98 GPa, and compressive strength of 96.04 MPa) with porosity, an interconnected morphology, and biocompatibility. 7 Other metal-doped HAP complexes being developed include Ag-Ti coated HAP for enhanced stability and corrosion resistance, 8 Zn-HAP for biocompatibility, 9 TiO 2 -HAP for increased cellular activity, 10 Mg-HAP for improved scaffolding and porosity, 6,11 Pt-Se-HAP for potent anticancer activity, 12 Sr-HAP for bioactivity and biocompatibility, 13 Mn-HAP for improved stability and strength, 14 and Se-HAP for biocompatibility, cell growth, and anticancer activity of bone marrow cells. 15,16 Among the many different metal-doped HAPs, we have been interested in Se (selenium)-doped HAPs, as this composite can help to treat osteosarcoma, a common type of bone cancer, in a sustainable way.…”