Novel nanofibrous composite of chitosan–CaCO3 fabricated by electrolytic biomineralization and its cell biocompatibility

Abstract

A nanofibrous network-like CaCO₃–chi (CaCO₃–chi NFs) composite has been successfully fabricated in a simple and controllable approach based on one-step electrodeposition. Results confirm that chitosan can behave as a structure-directing agent during the formation of the CaCO₃–chi composite coating, playing an important role. The as-formed CaCO₃–chi NFs were observed to be covered by multiple small nanoparticles (NPs) with an average diameter of ∼25 nm. These uniform NPs were aligned along the surface of NFs, constructing a 3D hierarchically interlaced network. Cytocompatibility of these NFs was evaluated by cell morphology and a MTT assay by culturing MC3T3 cells. The results show that the composite coating of CaCO₃–chi NFs featuring interconnected pores, loose 3D assembly, large surface area, and high mechanical strength, possess excellent cytocompatibility, greatly facilitating cell adhesion and proliferation. Our research demonstrates that the composite of CaCO₃–chi NFs can be fabricated in an easy manner, i.e. electrolysis induced biomineralization, and act as a promising scaffold for tissue engineering applications.