Properties of hydroxyapatite/PEG nanocomposites synthesized by precipitation time variations

A study on Hydroxyapatite /Polyethylene-Glycol (HAp/PEG) composite is intriguing because of its biocompatible, bioactive, non-toxic features. Thus, it is mostly applied in the biomedical field. This study describes the fabrication of HAp/PEG composite. HAp nanoparticle was synthesized using limestone from Puger, Indonesia, with co-precipitation method. HAp/PEG composite with a weight ratio of 80:20% was fabricated using precipitation method with the deposit time variation of 12, 24, and 36 hours. The properties of HAp and Hap/PEG composite were evaluated using XRD, SEM, and EDX, while their hardness characteristic was determined through the Vickers hardness machine. The synthetic HAp has a crystallite size of 33.876 nm and a Ca/P ratio of 1.68. The increase of the deposit period enhances the HAp crystallite size and reduces the PEG crystallite size within the composite. The crystallinity degree raises along with upsurges of deposit period with a range of 33.54–74.36%. The optimum hardness of the HAp/PEG composite of 71.2 HVN occurs at the deposit period of 24 hours. The lowest hardness level of 43.1 HVN happens during the deposit period of 12 hours. The surface morphology has many more pores than in the deposit period of 24 and 36 hours. Therefore, the crystallinity degree, hardness, and surface morphology of the HAp/PEG composite are affected by the deposit period.