Influence of temperature, ripening time and calcination on the morphology and crystallinity of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles

Nano-sized hydroxyapatite (HA) particles were prepared by chemical precipitation through aqueous solutions of calcium chloride and ammonium hydrogenphosphate. The influence of temperature, ripening time and calcination on the crystallinity and morphology of the HA nanoparticles were investigated. It was found that the crystallinity and crystallite size increased with the increase of synthetic temperature and ripening time. XRD and TEM results showed that the morphology change of HA nanoparticles was related to their crystallinity. High crystallinity of HA led to regular shape and smooth surface of the nanoparticles. The crystallinity of HA powders increased greatly after calcination at 650 degreesC for 6 h but the change of the crystallite size after calcination was dependent on the crystallinity and crystallite size of "as prepared" HA nanoparticles. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.