Size-controlled preparation of α-calcium sulphate hemihydrate starting from calcium sulphate dihydrate in the presence of modifiers and the dissolution rate in simulated body fluid

•Different-sized α-CaSO4·0.5H2O rods were prepared from CaSO4·2H2O with modifiers.•The presence of modifiers favoured the formation of small-sized α-CaSO4·0.5H2O rods.•The modifiers for decreasing particle sizes were in an order of SDBS > CANa > MgCl2.•Naked and thin α-CaSO4·0.5H2O rods had high dissolution rate in simulated body fluid.

Different-sized α-calcium sulphate hemihydrate (α-CSH) rods were hydrothermally prepared by converting calcium sulphate dihydrate at 110–140 °C in the presence of MgCl2, sodium citrate (CANa), and sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) as the modifiers. The α-CSH rods with the average diameters and the average lengths in the ranges of 2.6–5.2 and 17.5–33.1 μm, respectively, were tunably prepared. The presence of the modifiers favoured the formation of small-sized α-CSH rods. The effect of the modifiers on decreasing the diameters of α-CSH rods was in an order of SDBS > CANa > MgCl2. The dissolution rates of the different-sized α-CSH rods prepared at 140 °C in simulated body fluid were in an order of α-CSH (CANa) > α-CSH (MgCl2) > α-CSH (reference) > α-CSH (SDBS). The naked and small-sized α-CSH rods had high dissolution rates. The adsorption of SDBS on the surfaces of α-CSH rods decreased their dissolution rates.

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