Synthesis of strontium substituted hydroxyapatite whiskers used as bioactive and mechanical reinforcement material

The strontium substituted hydroxyapatite (SrHA) whiskers with 6.6 mol% of Ca replaced by Sr were successfully synthesized via homogeneous precipitation method. The product had a width of 0.2–8 μm and length up to 155 μm. The human osteoblast-like cell (MG-63) culture showed that Sr substitution could stimulate the proliferation of MG-63 at certain extracted concentrations. Furthermore, the addition of SrHA whiskers could significantly improve the mechanical properties of calcium phosphate cement (CPC). The 5 wt.% SrHA whisker reinforced CPC revealed the highest compressive strength of 2.92 MPa, which was almost 2-times higher than that of the pure CPC. Our study indicated that SrHA whisker might be a potential candidate as a new bioactive and mechanical reinforcement material for hard tissue regeneration applications.

► Sr-substituted hydroxyapatite (SrHA) whisker was synthetized by hydrothermal method.
► The Sr substitution could stimulate the proliferation of MG-63 cells.
► The whisker could improve the mechanical properties of calcium phosphate cement.
► SrHA whisker can be used as a new bioactive and reinforcement in biomedical field.