Journal of Materials Science, Vol.44, No.5, 1258-1263, 2009
Synthesis of hydroxyapatite nanorods assisted by Pluronics
Pluronics F127, P123, and F87 were employed to synthesize hydroxyapatite nanorods for biomedical applications. The calcium phosphate precipitates were characterized by XRD, TEM/EDS, FTIR, and TGA. Pluronics affected the phase evolution of the calcium phosphate precursors in the mother solution at room temperature. The hydroxyapatite nanorods with a diameter of 20 nm, a length of 100 nm, and a Ca/P ratio of 1.70 were obtained after the precursors were heated at 140 A degrees C for 3 h in a Teflon-lined autoclave. There is about 2 wt% Pluronic on the surface of hydroxyapatite. The hydroxyapatite with a small amount of organics on the surface can be potentially used as fillers in biomedical composites with excellent biological and mechanical properties.