Formation of oriented hydroxyapatite rods by hydrothermal treatment of calcite single crystal

Abstract

Morphological control on hydroxyapatite crystals has attractive prospects in research to clarify the effects of crystal planes on biological performance. Hydrothermal processing is known as a typical type of processing for fabricating well-grown crystals with unique morphology. The purpose of the present study is to examine the feasibility of well-crystallized crystals with oriented structures through hydrothermal treatment of calcite. A single crystal of calcite was applied to hydrothermal treatment in a phosphate solution at 160°C. Rod-shaped hydroxyapatite crystals with micrometer-size were formed on the {100} face of calcite after treatment, while nanometer-sized hydroxyapatite crystals were formed on the (111). The hydroxyapatite crystals formed on each plane were not morphologically changed with increasing treatment periods. An oriented structure of rod-shaped hydroxyapatite was constructed after hydrothermal treatment of {100} planes on the calcite single, while such orientation was not observed on the (111) plane after the treatment. The layer of hydroxyapatite formed on the {100} plane was thicker than that of the (111) plane. The {100} plane of calcite shows a higher reactivity than that of the (111) plane, which results in rapid crystal growth of hydroxyapatite. The difference in the morphology of the formed hydroxyapatite was governed by the reactivity of each crystal plane exposed to the surrounding solution.