Room Temperature Crystallization of Hydroxyapatite in Porous Silicon Structures.

M Santana,J O Estevez,R Herrera-Becerra,V Agarwal

doi:10.1186/s11671-016-1658-4

Abstract

Porous silicon (PS) substrates, with different pore sizes and morphology, have been used to crystallize hydroxyapatite (HA) nano-fibers by an easy and economical procedure using a co-precipitation method at room temperature. In situ formation of HA nanoparticles, within the meso- and macroporous silicon structure, resulted in the formation of nanometer-sized hydroxyapatite crystals on/within the porous structure. The X-ray diffraction technique was used to determine the tetragonal structure of the crystals. Analysis/characterization demonstrates that under certain synthesis conditions, growth and crystallization of hydroxyapatite layer on/inside PS can be achieved at room temperature. Such composite structures expand the possibility of designing a new bio-composite material based on the hydroxyapatite and silicon synthesized at room temperature.

Highlights

Porous silicon is a nanostructured material obtained by electrochemical anodization of monocrystalline silicon (c-Si) in a solution of hydrofluoric acid and ethanol [1]
We review our experimental results on enhanced infiltration, adhesion, nucleation, and crystallization of biological and inorganic materials in meso- and macroporous silicon
The above discussion reveals the significant role played by the nanostructured Porous silicon (PS) in the modification of particle size and morphology due to the confinement of the precursor solution

Summary

Introduction

Porous silicon is a nanostructured material obtained by electrochemical anodization of monocrystalline silicon (c-Si) in a solution of hydrofluoric acid and ethanol [1]. One of the most important characteristics of PS is its high specific surface area [1,2,3], which was shown to have a nanostructured fractal (self-similar) surface [4] with tunable interconnected pores It serves as an ideal substrate for crystal growth of different materials such as proteins [5, 6], oxides [7], semiconductors [8], metallic nanoparticles [9], and hydroxyapatites [2, 10]. The pore filling via nucleation inside the pore itself or nucleation from a branching pore has been demonstrated [11] Such fractal surface features have a great impact on the properties of different nanostructured materials adsorbed or grown over it [1,2,3]. Such characteristics provide a variety of applications such as sensors based on both electrical and optical properties, or in various

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Conclusion