Facile synthesis of three dimensional porous hydroxyapatite using carboxymethylcellulose as a template

A novel simple and convenient process for the synthesis of three dimensional porous hydroxyapatite (HAP) using natural apatite and carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) was introduced. In the synthesis processing, natural apatite was used as a source for calcium and phosphorus precursors and chemical precipitation method assisted by CMC was developed. The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results indicated that CMC can control the HAP formation, modulate the particle morphology and structure, and effectively reduce the aggregation of HAP powders. This synthesis route makes it easy to obtain some submicron particles for special requirements.