Role of triton X-100 and hydrothermal treatment on the morphological features of nanoporous hydroxyapatite nanorods.

Hydroxyapatite (HA) particles were synthesized using Ca(NO3)2·4H2O and (NH4)2HPO4 as precursors with varying contents of non-ionic surfactant viz., triton X-100 (organic modifier) via co-precipitation method followed by hydrothermal treatment. The prepared HA particles have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis (EDX), High Resolution Scanning Electron Microscopy (HRSEM), High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM) and Nitrogen adsorption-desorption experiments. The XRD and FTIR studies indicate the formation of HA phase in all the synthesized samples. The specific roles of triton X-100 and hydrothermal treatment in dispersing and in directing the crystal growth respectively have been discussed by comparing the observations from individual experiments using triton X-100 and hydrothermal treatment with that of combined protocol involving both. The plausible mechanism for the individual roles of both triton X-100 and hydrothermal treatment have been proposed.