Deposition of bone-like hydroxyapatite on the surface of silk cloth with the aid of immobilized urease

Continuous layers of hydroxyapatite were deposited on silk cloth from aqueous solutions by using urease as the precipitant supplier. Silk cloth was surface-modified with urease and was immersed in an aqueous solution containing Ca2+, PO43−, and urea. As urea was hydrolyzed to form ammonia with the aid of the immobilized urease, hydroxyapatite precipitated predominantly on the surface of the silk cloth. It took only a few hours to form continuous layers of hydroxyapatite on the silk cloth. The resultant hydroxyapatite was found to be bone-like apatite because it had low crystallinity, contained carbonate ion in the lattice, and had a calcium-deficient composition.