Formation of c-axis aligned hydroxyapatite sheet by simultaneous imposition of high magnetic field and mold rotation during slip casting process

A high magnetic field is a useful tool to control the crystal alignment of non-magnetic materials such as ceramics and polymers. In the case of Hydroxyapatite crystal, the a,b-axis is aligned parallel to the direction of an imposed magnetic field. This fact implies that the alignment of the c-axis is not controllable only using a high static magnetic field due to the freedom of the c-axis in a plane perpendicular to a magnetic field direction. In this study, a high static magnetic field and mold rotation was simultaneously so applied during a slip casting process as to align the c-axis of HAp poly crystals.