In this article, we report a novel route for the preparation of alginate-hydroxyapatite biocomposite. Hydroxyapatite has been nucleated on alginate chains by precipitation method to obtain a biomimetic artificial bonelike composite. The composite was characterized by powder XRD, FTIR, TGA, DTA, and SEM to ascertain its phase homogeneity and particle size distribution. Hydroxyapatite particles on alginate matrix are around 500-1000 nm in diameter. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.