Crystallization behavior of tantalum and chlorine co-substituted hydroxyapatite nanopowders

•Crystallization behavior of Ta and Cl co-substituted HA was examined.•Rietveld refinement was used to assess the crystallographic properties.•Co-doping of Ta and Cl may change the structural and morphological features.•Needle-like nanopowders with an average size of 61 ± 26 nm were obtained.

The crystallization behavior of tantalum and chlorine co-substituted hydroxyapatite nanopowders was examined. Results showed that combined processing by mechanical alloying and annealing is conducive to the structural changes and crystal growth. A series of nanocrystalline tantalum and chlorine co-substituted hydroxyapatite (Ta/Cl–HA) with different dopant contents were synthesized as a result of the progressive mechanochemical reaction. During the subsequent annealing, crystallization of the as-milled powders occurred, leading to a significant increase in the fraction of crystalline phase. TEM images revealed that the crystallized and doped nanopowders composed of crystalline nanoneedles with an average size of 61 ± 26 nm.

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