Search results for "amorphou"

The Understanding of the Metazoan Skeletal System, Based on the Initial Discoveries with Siliceous and Calcareous Sponges

2017

Initiated by studies on the mechanism of formation of the skeletons of the evolutionary oldest still extant multicellular animals, the sponges (phylum Porifera) have provided new insights into the mechanism of formation of the Ca-phosphate/hydroxyapatite skeleton of vertebrate bone. Studies on the formation of the biomineral skeleton of sponges revealed that both the formation of the inorganic siliceous skeletons (sponges of the class of Hexactinellida and Demospongiae) and of the calcareous skeletons (class of Calcarea) is mediated by enzymes (silicatein: polymerization of biosilica; and carbonic anhydrase: deposition of Ca-carbonate). Detailed studies of the initial mineralization steps i…

Amplified morphogenetic and bone forming activity of amorphous versus crystalline calcium phosphate/polyphosphate.

2020

Amorphous Ca-phosphate (ACP) particles stabilized by inorganic polyphosphate (polyP) were prepared by co-precipitation of calcium and phosphate in the presence of polyP (15% [w/w]). These hybrid nanoparticles showed no signs of crystallinity according to X-ray diffraction analysis, in contrast to the particles obtained at a lower (5% [w/w]) polyP concentration or to hydroxyapatite. The ACP/15% polyP particles proved to be a suitable matrix for cell growth and attachment and showed pronounced osteoblastic and vasculogenic activity in vitro. They strongly stimulated mineralization of the human osteosarcoma cell line SaOS-2, as well as cell migration/microvascularization, as demonstrated in th…

Amorphous Calcium Phosphates: Solvent-Controlled Growth and Stabilization through the Epoxide Route.

2020

Calcium phosphates stand among the most promising nanobiomaterials in key biomedical applications, such as bone repairment, signalling or drug/gene delivery. Their intrinsic properties as crystalline structure, composition, particle shape and size define their successful use. Among these compounds, metastable amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) is currently gaining particular attention due to its inherently high reactivity in solution, which is crucial in bone development mechanisms. However, the preparation of this highly desired (bio)material with control over its shape, size and phase purity remains as a synthetic challenge. In this work, the epoxide route was adapted for the synthesis of …

Crystallized nano-sized alpha-tricalcium phosphate from amorphous calcium phosphate: microstructure, cementation and cell response

2015

New insight on the conversion of amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) to nano-sized alpha tricalcium phosphate (α-TCP) provides a faster pathway to calcium phosphate bone cements. In this work, synthesized ACP powders were treated with either water or ethanol, dried, crystallized between 700 and 800 °C, and then cooled at different cooling rates. Particle size was measured in a scanning electron microscope, but crystallite size calculated by Rietveld analysis. Phase composition and bonding in the crystallized powder was assessed by x-ray diffraction and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Results showed that 50 nm sized α-TCP formed after crystallization of lyophilized powders. Water trea…

Amorphous polyphosphate/amorphous calcium carbonate implant material with enhanced bone healing efficacy in a critical-size defect in rats

2016

In this study the effect of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) microparticles and amorphous calcium polyphosphate (polyP) microparticles (termed aCa-polyP-MP) on bone mineral forming cells/tissue was investigated in vitro and in vivo. The ACC particles (termed ACC-P10-MP) were prepared in the presence of Na-polyP. Only the combinations of polyP and ACC microparticles enhanced the proliferation rate of human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Gene expression studies revealed that ACC causes an upregulation of the expression of the cell membrane-associated carbonic anhydrase IX (CA IX; formation of ACC), while the transcript level of the alkaline phosphatase (ALP; liberation of orthophosphate from…

Nonenzymatic Transformation of Amorphous CaCO3 into Calcium Phosphate Mineral after Exposure to Sodium Phosphate in Vitro: Implications for in Vivo H…

2015

Studies indicate that mammalian bone formation is initiated at calcium carbonate bioseeds, a process that is driven enzymatically by carbonic anhydrase (CA). We show that amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) and bicarbonate (HCO3 (-) ) cause induction of expression of the CA in human osteogenic SaOS-2 cells. The mineral deposits formed on the surface of the cells are rich in C, Ca and P. FTIR analysis revealed that ACC, vaterite, and aragonite, after exposure to phosphate, undergo transformation into calcium phosphate. This exchange was not seen for calcite. The changes to ACC, vaterite, and aragonite depended on the concentration of phosphate. The rate of incorporation of phosphate into ACC, …

Monte Carlo Simulations of Surfaces and Interfaces in Materials

1996

Many applications of materials are controlled by their surface and interface properties. In particular, metallic alloys (but also mixed dielectric materials and amorphous polymer blends) are not homogeneously mixed on a microscopic length scale, although they are macroscopically homogeneous. Depending on the preparation of the sample, there exists a heterophase microstructure, with typical domain sizes, e.g. in the 1 to 102 µm range, separated by interfaces between them. The physical properties of such intrinsic interfaces (grain boundaries between small crystallites, antiphase domain boundaries in ordered alloys, Bloch walls in magnetic materials, etc.) are not only an important controllin…

New fitting scheme to obtain effective potential from Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics simulations: Application to silica

2008

A fitting scheme is proposed to obtain effective potentials from Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics (CPMD) simulations. It is used to parameterize a new pair potential for silica. MD simulations with this new potential are done to determine structural and dynamic properties and to compare these properties to those obtained from CPMD and a MD simulation using the so-called BKS potential. The new potential reproduces accurately the liquid structure generated by the CPMD trajectories, the experimental activation energies for the self-diffusion constants and the experimental density of amorphous silica. Also lattice parameters and elastic constants of alpha-quartz are well-reproduced, showing th…

Instabilities Effects in Thin Film Solar Cells: Reversible Ageing, Performance Recovery and Improvement by Electrical Stresses

Characterization by solid-state NMR and selective dissolution techniques of anhydrous and hydrated CEM V cement pastes.

2010

International audience; The long term behaviour of cement based materials is strongly dependent on the paste microstructure and also on the internal chemistry. A CEM V blended cement containing pulverised fly ash (PFA) and blastfurnace slag (BFS) has been studied in order to understand hydration processes which influence the paste microstructure. Solid-state NMR spectroscopy with complementary X-ray diffraction analysis and selective dissolution techniques have been used for the characterization of the various phases (C3S, C2S, C3A and C4AF) of the clinker and additives and then for estimation of the degree of hydration of these same phases. Their quantification after simulation of experime…