Hydrothermal Synthesis of Hydroxyapatite – Polymer Composite Materials

The hydrothermal syntheses of hydroxyapatite and polymer composite materials were studied. The apatite precursor slurry was prepared by agitating a mixture of CaCO3 and CaHPO4·2H2O, and 3 kinds of polymeric fibers were added. The mixture was treated under hydrothermal conditions at 180 °C for 5 hours. The XRD patterns of the products showed that the products were well-crystallized hydroxyapatite. SEM observations revealed that the thick coatings of hydroxyapatite were formed on the polymer fibers. Spherical apatite particles of sub-micrometer size were observed on the fibers when the pH value was 10 or 6.5. At the pH value of 4, the products on the fibers were rod-like apatite, 20-50 m long, and seemed to have developed in the same direction.