Electroactive HA/BT biocomposites for bone tissue engineering: synthesis, dielectric evaluation, and computational modeling

Abstract

The dielectric behavior of bone, driven by Hydroxyapatite (HA) –collagen hydrogen bond separation under electric fields, is vital for cell regulation and repair[1]. Replicating this property is a key requirement in electroactive biomaterials for bone tissue engineering. HA provides biocompatibility, osteoconductivity, and bioactivity, while lead-free barium titanate(BT) offers high dielectric coefficients, comparable to or exceeding those of hydrated bone, along with good cytocompatibility[2], [3]. Combining HA and BT yields composites that couple bioactivity with electromechanical responsiveness, thereby promoting osteointegration and electrical stimulation. Computational modeling provides an efficient alternative to trial-and-error experiments in piezoelectric bone scaffold research, reducing costs, time, and ethical concerns while enabling optimized, patient-specific scaffold design for bone defect healing.[4] While HA/BT composites have been previously explored, most solely focus on experimental dielectric characterization. In this work, HA and BT are synthesized, and HA/BT composites are fabricated to evaluate their dielectric properties experimentally. Finite element method (FEM) simulations are further employed to predict dielectric behavior, and the results are compared with experimental data.