Effect of Ultrasound Irradiation on the Synthesis of Hydroxyapatite/Titanium Oxide Nanocomposites

Bioceramic materials, such as hydroxyapatite, Ca-10(PO4)(6)(OH)(2), (HAp), can be chemically bound to bone tissue; since they are bioactive and biocompatible. HAp, titanium oxide (TiO2), and hydroxyapatite/titanium oxide (HAp/TiO2) nanocomposite nanoparticles were obtained by ultrasound irradiation assisted by sol-gel and co-precipitation methods at different time intervals, using Ca(NO3)(2)center dot 4H(2)O, (NH4)(2)HPO4, and TiOSO4 center dot xH(2)O as calcium, phosphorus, and titanium sources, respectively. HAp, TiO2, and HAp/TiO2 nanocomposite powders were characterized by X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Raman Spectroscopy. The percentages of anatase phase for TiO2 and of monoclinic and hexagonal phases for HAp were quantified by Rietveld refinement. Furthermore, sample crystallinity in each material was enhanced by increasing the ultrasound irradiation time. The nanoparticle shape was semi-spherical, agglomerated, and between 17 and 20 nm in size. The agglomeration of particles in the samples was corroborated with a Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM).