Effect of ion concentration on mechanosynthesis of carbonated chlorapatite nanopowders

•B-type carbonated chlorapatite was synthesized by a facile solid-state method.•Structural features were influenced strongly by the degree of substitution.•FTIR spectra suggested predominant B-type substitution of carbonate.•The product showed a mean particle size of about 15±10 nm.

Carbonated chlorapatite nanopowders (n-CCAp) with different degrees of substitution were successfully synthesized by the one-step mechanochemical process. Results demonstrated that the formation of n-CCAp was influenced strongly by the carbonate content (x). From X-ray analysis, crystallite size, crystallinity degree, and unit cell volume of n-CCAp decreased significantly as carbonate content (x) increased from 0 to 2. Conversely, the lattice strain and the volume fraction of grain boundaries grew considerably. Microscopic analysis showed the average particle size of the synthesized powders was 15±10 nm. The influence of carbonate concentration on mechanosynthesis of pure n-CCAp utilizing a facile solid-state process has not been reported yet; it has potential application for biomedical engineering.

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