Fabrication and Characterization of Graphene Oxide-Fluorohydroxyapatite Composite Materials for Biomedical Applications

This work demonstrates the fabrication of a hydroxyapatite (HA) composite material for potential use in biomedical implant applications. A composite powder is prepared by introducing graphene oxide (GO) and F- ions, which are incorporated in the HA crystal structure via in-situ chemical synthesis. The powder is consolidated through spark plasma sintering, resulting in a biocomposite (GO-FHA) material that is mechanically stronger and more chemically stable after implantation than HA. The addition of GO and partial substitution of F- also promote osteoblast proliferation as in-vitro bioactivity tests show.