Apatite coating on dendrimer-modified buckypaper and the formation of nanoapatite on MWCNTs

Multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)/dendrimer sheet scaffolds, i.e., dendrimers attached to the surface of MWCNT buckypaper, were fabricated, and a hydroxyapatite (HAp) coating prepared on dendrimer-modified buckypaper using an alternate soaking process (ASP) is described. The amount of the HAp that is retained on the surface of the MWCNT/dendrimer sheet scaffolds depends on the modification method; i.e., surface modification performed after the formation of the buckypaper is much more effective in producing MWCNT/HAp hybrid materials than surface modification prior to the formation of the buckypaper. Moreover, biomimetic crystallization of calcium phosphate on buckypaper in simulated body fluid (SBF) was carried out. TEM analysis of the resulting MWCNT/dendrimer sheet scaffolds revealed that the MWCNT backbone was covered with scaly crystals.