The Manufacture of a Novel 3D Hydroxyapatite Microstructure Derived from Cuttlefish Bones for Potential Tissue Engineering Applications

Porous three-dimensional hydroxyapatite scaffolds were synthesised from aragonitic cuttlefish bones via a microwave based technique. Due to its close similarity to the mineral phase found in the natural human bone matrix, synthetically produced hydroxyapatite is considered a viable apatite substitute for natural bone in a number of biomedical applications. The X-ray diffract ion data confirms the conversion of crystalline formations of calcium carbonate, the main component of the cuttlefish, to hydroxyapatite. The synthesis process is straightforward, efficient and creates a highly porous 3 dimensional microstructure that has the potential to be used in a wide range of hard tissue engineering applications such as bone repair, filling material and bone augmentation.