title: Preparation of mineralized nanofibers: collagen fibrils containing calcium phosphate.
abstract: We report a straightforward, bottom-up, scalable process for preparing mineralized nanofibers. Our procedure is based on flowing feed solution, containing both inorganic cations and polymeric molecules, through a nanoporous membrane into a receiver solution with anions, which leads to the formation of mineralized nanofibers at the exit of the pores. With this strategy, we were able to achieve size control of the nanofiber diameters. We illustrate this approach by producing collagen fibrils with calcium phosphate incorporated inside the fibrils. This structure, which resembles the basic constituent of bones, assembles itself without the addition of noncollagenous proteins or their polymeric substitutes. Rheological experiments demonstrated that the stiffness of gels derived from these fibrils is enhanced by mineralization. Growth experiments of human adipose derived stem cells on these gels showed the compatibility of the fibrils in a tissue-regeneration context.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University , Stanford, California 94305-5025, United States.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maas
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Keeney
authors.forename: Fan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Tammy M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: Gerald G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Fuller
authors.forename: Charles R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: Richard N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Zare
mesh_terms: D002130:Calcium Phosphates / Q000737:chemistry*; D003094:Collagen / Q000737:chemistry*; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D008903:Minerals / Q000737:chemistry*; D057139:Nanofibers
chemical_list: D002130:Calcium Phosphates; D008903:Minerals; D003094:Collagen; C020243:calcium phosphate