H Imanieh - Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, Iran; Postal Code: ۳۴۱۴۹-۱۶۸۱۸;
S Alavi - Department of Chemistry, Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences, P. O. Box ۴۵۱۹۵-۱۱۵۹, Zanjan, Iran;
H Aghahoseini - Department of Chemistry, University of Zanjan, P O Box ۴۵۱۹۵-۳۱۳, Zanjan, Iran;
M Tahriri - Biomaterial Group, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering (Center of Excellence), Amirkabir University of Technology, P. O. Box: ۱۵۸۷۵-۴۴۱۳, Tehran, Iran

Development of organic-inorganic composites has drawn eyes to extensive attention in biomedical fields and tissue engineering. In this study novel poly(Vinyl alcohol), collagen /nano fluoridated hydroxyapatite (Coll-PVA-nFHA) scaffolds were investigated. The FHA nanopowders were prepared via pH-cycling method and had a chemical composition of Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2-2x F2x (where x values were selected equal to 0.68). We applied freeze drying method for makingof polymer porous Scaffolds. With starting from various compositions, different kinds of composites were obtained according to mixture experimental design that was undertaken using D-optimal approach. Using a design of experiment (DOE) approach, system and process parameters were optimized concurrently and their effects on the porosity, density and mechanical properties of the resulting scaffold were computed into a single model. The resulted composite characters were investigated by Fourier transforminfrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA), as well as by measuring the density, porosity and compressive module for each sample.Based on the SEM images, this new composite could be clearly concluded to porous scaffold. Mixture experimental designmethod offers the possibility of identifying a range of blend compositions suitable to yield products with valuable mechanical and structural properties

Nanocomposite; scaffold; DOE; tissue engineering