Abstract
Transient or metastable phases offer an intermediate phase with additional flexibility for creating the end product. The processing pathway remains unknown when the final product is viewed. Biological processes frequently employ the amorphous phase as the transition phase. This is shown in mineralized tissues: invertebrates, pathological calcified deposits and murine fetal teeth. After a fast transition from an amorphous calcium phosphate to crystalline material, smaller changes occur over time. For an appreciation of the transition state, crystallinity is defined and measurement methods outlined. Biotechnology using transition material states offers fast, low temperature access to nanosized high temperature phases. Alfa tricalcium phosphate and apatite is made by a phase transition, but peroxyapatite requires long-range diffusion within the same structure. Tetracalcium phosphate is also possible, but this requires multiple transition states and phase decomposition. The pathway via the amorphous state offers an alternative route to biologically important materials.
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