Photoluminescent properties of hydroxyapatite and hydroxyapatite/multi-walled carbon nanotube composites

Abstract

Hydroxyapatite (HAp) and hydroxyapatite/multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) composites were obtained by the co-precipitation method, followed by ultrasound-assisted and mi-crowave radiation and thermal treatment at 250◦ C. X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed the presence of a hexagonal phase in all the samples, while Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy eluci-dated the interaction between HAp and MWCNTs. The photoluminescent technique revealed that HAp and the composite with non-functionalized MWCNTs present a blue luminescence, while the composite with functionalized MWCNTs, under UV-vis radiation shows an intense white emission. These findings allowed presentation of a proposal for the use of HAp and HAp with functionalized MWCNTs as potential materials for optoelectronic and medical applications.