Natural materials like proteins and hydroxyapatite (HA) are abundant, but effectively using them to create strong and environmentally friendly materials has been challenging.
A new method for extracting HA from bones while preserving collagen is introduced, producing HA nanocrystals with a high aspect ratio.
The study shows that a composite made from polymerized egg white and HA results in a layered material with impressive stiffness and toughness, leveraging chemical interactions at the interface, and demonstrates its potential for biocompatible printed scaffolds.