Patent ID: 7871638

Claim:
A composite material, comprising: a biodegradable polymeric material, and calcium phosphate in the biodegradable polymeric material, wherein the calcium phosphate is contained in the biodegradable polymeric material in a gradient of calcium phosphate that varies in the biodegradable polymeric material from a first side of said biodegradable polymeric material to an opposite second side of said biodegradable polymeric material with an increasing linear gradient, wherein the biodegradable polymeric material is selected from the group consisting of glycosaminoglycan, collagen, and a composite of glycosaminoglycan and collagen, and wherein said gradient of calcium phosphate is formed by alternately soaking the opposite second side of the biodegradable polymeric material in a calcium ion-containing solution and the opposite second side of the biodegradable polymeric material in a phosphate ion-containing solution.