Synthesis of nanosize single-crystal strontium hydroxyapatite via a simple sol–gel method

Single-crystal strontium hydroxyapatite (SrHAp) nanorods have been synthesized by a water-based low temperature sol–gel process using strontium nitrate and diammonium hydrogen phosphate as the starting materials. The SrHAp materials were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The aging time was found to play a significant role in regulating the morphology of the nanoparticles and the best result was obtained for the sample aged at 60°C for 48h. This SrHAp sample consisted of monodipersed nanorods with lengths of 120–180nm and diameters of around 30nm. This synthesis strategy provides a simple pathway to obtain single-crystal SrHAp with high crystallinity and purity.