Growth, spectral, structural and mechanical properties of struvite crystal grown in presence of sodium fluoride

Struvite or magnesium ammonium phosphate hexahydrate (MAP) is one of the components of urinary stone. Struvite stones are commonly found in women. It forms in human beings as a result of urinary tract infection with urea splitting organisms. These stones can grow rapidly forming “staghorn-calculi”, which is a painful urological disorder. Therefore, it is of prime importance to study the growth and inhibition of struvite crystals. The growth inhibition effect of struvite crystals in sodium metasilicate (SMS) gel in the presence of sodium fluoride has been carried out. Crystals obtained have been analysed by powder and single crystal XRD, SEM–EDX, FTIR and TG–DTA. The results show that the presence of fluoride significantly affects struvite crystal growth and the characteristics of the crystallites produced. The mechanical property of the grown crystals has been investigated by Vickers microhardness testing. Work hardening coefficient was found to be >1·6 for both pure and doped samples which suggests that the crystal belongs to the family of soft material. Presence of sodium fluoride further softened the crystal.