Synthesis and characterization of iron-doped/substituted calcium hydroxyapatite from seashells Macoma balthica (L.)

• Fe-doped/substituted calcium hydroxyapatite via sol–gel combustion method.
• Macoma balthica (L.) sea shells as the precursor of calcium.
• Microstructure of Fe/CHAp is different in comparison of un-doped sample.
• Fe/CHAp with low concentration of Fe were less than 500 nm spherical particles.
• Fe/CHAp samples could be used for the repair of large bone defects.

Considering the importance of having pure and non-toxic calcium hydroxyapatite (Ca10(PO4)6(OH)10, CHAp) for a number of biomedical applications, and the significant role of iron in bone regeneration and remodelling, in this study Fe-doped/substituted calcium hydroxyapatite (Fe(x)/CHAp; (x = 0, 0.01, 0.05, 0.1, 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 10 mol%)) was synthesized via simple sol–gel method employing Macoma balthica (L.) sea shells as the precursor of calcium. The synthesized Fe(x)/CHAp powders were characterized applying the following analytical techniques: Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The obtained results were in good agreement with the standard values for calcium hydroxyapatite, which indicated successful formation of the Fe-doped/substituted calcium hydroxyapatite.

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