The Production of Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticles for Collagen and Gelatin Scaffolds in Bone Regeneration

Department

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University

Document Type

Poster

Publication Date

4-17-2026

Abstract

Bone defects caused by trauma, disease, or aging remain a major challenge in regenerative medicine. Hydroxyapatite (HA), the primary mineral component of bone, is widely used in biomaterials due to its biocompatibility and ability to support bone growth. This project focuses on processing hydroxyapatite to form nanoparticles that can be incorporated into collagen and gelatin scaffolds for bone regeneration. Hydroxyapatite powder was reduced to nanoscale particles using a speed milling. Approximately 0.6 g of HA was used for each trial, with mixing speeds ranging from 1000–2000 RPM. Both wet and dry grinding methods were investigated. Several methods were used to grind the hydroxyapatite powder. In method 1, liquid nitrogen was used to freeze the particles before mixing to reduce aggregation. In method 2, particles were then mixed with deionized (DI) water to improve dispersion. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to analyze particle size and morphology. SEM analysis showed that slower mixing speeds produced smaller and more uniform hydroxyapatite particles compared to higher speeds. Samples prepared from wet grinding with DI water will be analyzed via SEM. Preliminary results indicate that speed milling is an effective method tested for producing HA nanoparticles. Future work will focus on separating the nanoparticles from the solution through heating and incorporating them into collagen and gelatin scaffolds. Glutaraldehyde will be used as a crosslinking agent to stabilize the scaffold structure. These scaffolds aim to mimic the mineral and organic components of natural bone and support applications in bone tissue regeneration.

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