Mechanochemical synthesis and characterization of strontium substituted apatite for biomedical application

Abstract

Strontium-substituted apatite has been proposed as a promising material for osteoporosis treatment. Several synthesis methods have been attempted in the past. In this study, we investigated a method known as the mechanochemical synthesis method. Characterization was carried out using different amounts of strontium ions in the hydroxyapatite (HAp) matrix with FT-IR spectral analysis, X-ray diffraction, lattice constant measurements, differential thermal analysis (DTA), terahertz spectroscopy, and investigation of the basic morphology using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). We report that the development and performance of mechanochemical synthetic pathways are more efficient and economical than other substituted apatite formation methods and are useful in the biomedical field to produce calcium phosphate-based clinical materials. The FTIR spectra, terahertz spectra, and XRD analysis results revealed that the mixture of dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (DCPD), Ca(OH)2 and Sr(OH)2 8H2O was phase-transformed into strontium-containing carbonate amorphous apatite by this simple and economical mechanochemical synthesis method.