Development and Characterization of Biomimetic Carbonated Calcium-Deficient Hydroxyapatite Deposited on Carbon Fiber Scaffold

Calcium phosphate and derivatives have been known for decades as bone compatible biomaterials. In this work, the chemical composition, microtexture, and structure of calcium phosphate deposits on carbon cloths were investigated. Three main types of deposits, obtained through variation of current density in using the sono-electrodeposition technique, were elaborated. At low current densities, the deposit consists in a biomimetic, plate-like, carbonated calcium-deficient hydroxyapatite (CDA), likely resulting from the in situ hydrolysis of plate-like octacalcium phosphate (OCP), while at higher current densities the synthesis leads to a needle-like carbonated CDA. At intermediate current densities, a mixture of plate-like and needle-like carbonated CDA is deposited. This established that sono-electrodeposition is a versatile process that allows the coating of the carbon scaffold with biomimetic calcium phosphate while tuning the morphology and chemical composition of the deposited particles, thereby bringing new insights in the development of new biomaterials for bone repair.