Chondrocyte morphology on polymer-silica nanocomposites prepared by sol-gel technique

Polymer-silica nanocompostites based on poly(2-hydroxyethyl acrylate), PHEA, were prepared with different amounts of silica ranging from 5 to 30 wt.%. Chondrocyte adhesion and morphology was investigated as a function of the amount of silica in the system. Peculiar cell behaviour was shown to occur as the fraction of silica in the system increases