INCORPORATION OF IRON INTO NANO HYDROXYAPATITE PARTICLES SYNTHESIZED BY THE MICROWAVE PROCESS

Abstract

This research focuses on understanding the nature of the Fe ions substituted in hydroxyapatite ((HAP) Ca 10-x Fe x( PO 4)6( OH )2-xÿx: x = 0, 0.2 and 0.4) powder synthesized at temperatures between 500°C and 1000°C and their crystallization. The DSC scan indicates a solid state phase transition at about 757°C for the as-prepared powder HAP. The transformation of HAP to β-tricalcium phosphate (β- TCP , β- Ca 3( PO 4)2) is seen when the powder were heated to 750°C. The sizes of the crystallites were determined to be about 46–51 nm, 33–40 nm and 33–59 nm for Fe content of 0, 0.2 and 0.4 mol%, respectively. The ESR parameters for the Fe 3+ ions, g = 4.23 and 8.93 indicated that the ions were subjected to a rhombic ion crystal field within the HAP structures. The g values of ~2.01 indicated that the particles were super-paramagnetic and ferromagnetic iron nanoparticles, having an average size about 0.2–0.5 μm in length.