Synthesis and Characterization of Nano-hydroxyapatite Powder Using Wet Chemical Precipitation Reaction

Hydroxyapatite (HA) nano-powder was synthesized via wet chemical technique in a used precipitation reaction, in which Ca(OH)(2) and H3PO4 were used as precursors. Deionised water was used as a diluting media for the reaction and ammonia was used to adjust the pH. The synthetic HA nano-powder has some medical applications such as a coating material in orthopaedic implants and in dental. HA powder has been studied at different temperatures from 100 to 800 degrees C to achieve the stoichiometric Ca/P ratio 1.667. The optimum temperature was found to be 600 degrees C. Above this temperature, the HA powder decomposed to CaO. The crystallite size of HA powder was found to be in the range of 8.47-24.47 nm. The crystallographic properties were evaluated by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The results show that, high purity of nano-hydroxyapatite powders could be obtained at low temperatures, and the crystallinity, crystallite size and Ca/P ratio of the resulting nanoparticles were found to be dependent on the calcination temperature. When Ca/P ratio exceeded 1.75, formation of CaO phase was observed.