Biomimetic synthesis of hierarchical crystalline hydroxyapatite fibers in large-scale

Crystalline hierarchical hydroxyapatite [Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2, HAp)] fibers were successfully synthesized via a biomimetic route by using cotton cloth as a natural bio-template. The effects of pH value, aging time, ultrasonic cleaning time, and calcination temperature on the purity and morphology of the resulting hydroxyapatite (HAp) were monitored by scanning election microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and infrared spectrophotometer (IR) to obtain an optimized reaction condition, namely, pH 9, ultrasonic cleaning for 1 min, aging for 24 h, and calcination at 600 °C for 4 h. We found that the natural cellulose could not only control the morphology of HAp but also lower its phase transformation temperature. The impact of this method lies in its low cost and successful production of large-scale patterning of three-dimensional hierarchical HAp fibers.

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► Crystalline hierarchical hydroxyapatite (HAp) fibers are synthesized.
► We employ a biomimetic route by using cotton cloth as a natural bio-template.
► We study the effects of pH, ultrasonic cleaning time, and calcination temperature.
► We obtain an optimized reaction condition.
► This is a low cost method for production of hierarchical HAp fibers.