Biomineral nanocomposite scaffold (CaCO3/PVA based) carrier for improved stability of vitamin D3: characterization analysis and material properties

Abstract

A powdered PVA/CaCO3 nanocomposite carrier was successfully fabricated for effective loading of small bioactive molecules, such as vitamin D3 (VD3). Generation of, namely, VD3/PVA/CaCO3 nanocomposite scaffold was carried out through an adsorption mechanism as a loading route of an active compound onto a powder carrier. Developed composites were characterized by structural, morphological and thermal analyses techniques, such as X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, MALDI (matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization) – mass spectrometry (MS), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) – NLDFT (Non-local Density Functional Theory) method, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), simultaneous TG-DTG and coupled TG-MS. XRD results showed that the average crystallite size of synthesized VD3/PVA/CaCO3 amounts 32.93 nm exhibiting microstrain presence, where PVA incorporation causes non-uniform calcite lattice distortion. SEM analysis showed that VD3/PVA/CaCO3 nanocomposite scaffold contains agglomerated rhomboidal calcite particles with VD3 particles of irregular shapes attached. Fabricated VD3/PVA/CaCO3 clearly showed the existence of calcite “staircase” dendrites as the aftermath of inhibiting the effect of impurities on the growth of crystals in normal directions. It was determined that the decomposition of PVA additionally enhances the thermal stability of VD3, through the stabilization effect by acting on van der Waal’s forces during polyene formation, confirmed by MALDI-TOF MS results.