Acclerated microwave processing of nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite

The synthesis of pure hydroxyapatite (HA) nanocrystals in a rapid way by microwave processing using suitable starting materials to avoid unnecessary substitutions, was illustrated. The selected materials maintained a pH level greater than 9.0 without any ammonium hydroxide addition which is generally required to maintain necessary pH conditions. The HA was found to be of low crystallinity by conventional heating, whereas by varying the microwave power and/or time, it was possible to obtain nano-HA with different degrees of crystallinity. The results show that the microwave heating reduces the HA crystallization time and improved the crystallinity of the final product.