Abstract
Conventional flat plate‐shaped brushite, dicalcium phosphate dihydrate, CaHPO4·2H2O), produced by reacting Ca‐chloride and alkali phosphate salt solutions, were found to undergo a maturation process (changing their Ca/P molar ratio from 0.8 to the theoretical value of 1) similar to those seen in biological apatites. Water lily (WL)‐shaped brushite crystals were produced in nonstirred aqueous solutions at room temperature in 24 h, by using precipitated calcite and NH4H2PO4 as the starting chemicals. The hydrothermal transformation of WL‐type brushite into octacalcium phosphate (OCP) or Ca‐deficient hydroxyapatite (CDHA) was tested at 37°C by using four different biomineralization solutions, including Tris‐buffered SBF (synthetic body fluid) and sodium lactate‐buffered SBF solutions. All four solutions used in this study consumed the starting brushite in 1 week and caused transformation into a biphasic mixture of nanocrystalline OCP and CDHA of high surface area. WL‐type brushite crystals when synthesized in the presence of small amounts of Zn2+ ions resulted in the formation of, for the first time, spherical micro‐granules of brushite. Synthesis of brushite in spherical form was difficult prior to this study.
Published Version
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