Initial solution pH value for the construction of a 3D hydroxyapatite via the trisodium citrate-assisted hydrothermal route

Mei-Li Qi; Wen Wang; Xiao-Cun Liu; Xiaoying Wang; Jin Li; Haijun Zhang

doi:10.3389/fchem.2024.1442824

Initial solution pH value for the construction of a 3D hydroxyapatite via the trisodium citrate-assisted hydrothermal route

Front Chem. 2024 Jul 18:12:1442824. doi: 10.3389/fchem.2024.1442824. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Mei-Li Qi¹, Wen Wang¹, Xiao-Cun Liu¹, Xiaoying Wang¹, Jin Li¹, Haijun Zhang²

Affiliations

¹ School of Transportation Civil Engineering, Shandong Jiaotong University, Ji'nan, China.
² Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.

Abstract

In this study, a trisodium citrate (TSC)-assisted hydrothermal method is utilized to prepare three-dimensional hydroxyapatite (3D HA). Understanding the role of TSC in the preparation of 3D HA crystals may provide valuable methods to design advanced biomaterials. As one of the indexes of solution supersaturation, the initial pH (ipH) value can not only directly affect the nucleation rate, but also affect the growth of HA crystals. In this work, the effect of the ipH on the microstructure, particle size distribution, and specific surface area of the 3D HA is explored. Results showed that the morphology of 3D HA transformed from a bundle to a dumbbell ball and then a dumbbell with an increase in the ipH. A corresponding mechanism of such a structural evolution was proposed, providing inspiration for the fabrication of innovative 3D HA structures with enhanced biological functionality and performance.

Keywords: hydrothermal synthesis; initial pH; morphology; three-dimensional hydroxyapatite; trisodium citrate.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This research was funded by the Young Talent of Lifting Engineering for Science and Technology in Shandong, China, grant number SDAST2021qt05, the Shandong Provincial Natural Science Foundation, grant numbers ZR2020QA076, ZR2020QE070, and ZR2021MB128, and the National Key R&D Program of China, grant number 2022YFB2601900.