High-Quality Ultralong
Hydroxyapatite Nanowhiskers
Grown Directly on Titanium Surfaces by Novel Low-Temperature Flux
Coating Method
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Abstract
Idiomorphic, one-dimensional (1-D), and high-quality
hydroxyapatite
(HAp) nanocrystals were successfully, directly, and densely grown
on a Ti substrate at the relatively low temperature of 300 °C
using a KNO<sub>3</sub>–LiNO<sub>3</sub> flux coating method.
The grown HAp crystals have a 1-D shape with a very high aspect ratio
(much larger than 100) and an average size of 3250 × 25 nm (length
× width). The ultralong 1-D crystals grown at 300 °C were
identified as highly crystalline HAp by their X-ray diffraction (XRD)
patterns, which clearly displayed the four characteristic lines of
HAp between 31.5° and 34.5°. Additionally, high-resolution
transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) images demonstrated that
these ultralong whiskers were high-quality because point and line
defects were not observed. From the energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy
(EDS) analysis, major components were homogeneously distributed in
the HAp whiskers. In addition, the effects of holding temperature
and starting composition on the forms and average sizes of the grown
HAp whiskers were investigated