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Crystal Size, Morphology, and Growth Mechanism in Bio‐Inspired Apatite Nanocrystals
Author(s) -
DelgadoLópez José Manuel,
Frison Ruggero,
Cervellino Antonio,
GómezMorales Jaime,
Guagliardi Antonietta,
Masciocchi Norberto
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.201302075
Subject(s) - platy , materials science , apatite , biomineralization , nanocrystal , amorphous solid , morphology (biology) , nanoparticle , crystal (programming language) , crystallography , ion , crystal structure , chemical engineering , nanotechnology , crystal growth , chemistry , geology , composite material , paleontology , programming language , organic chemistry , computer science , engineering
Bio‐inspired apatite nanoparticles precipitated in the presence of citrate ions at increasing maturation times are characterized in terms of structure, size, morphology, and composition through advanced X‐ray total scattering techniques. The origin of the platy crystal morphology, breaking the hexagonal symmetry, and the role of citrate ions is explored. By cross‐coupling the size and shape information of crystal domains with those obtained by atomic force microscopy on multidomain nanoparticles, a plausible mechanism underlying the amorphous‐to‐crystal transformation is reconstructed. In the present study, citrate plays the distinct roles of inducing the platy morphology of the amorphous precursor and controlling the thickness of the Ca‐deficient apatite nanocrystals. These findings can open new scenarios also in bone mineralization, where citrate might have a broader role to play than has been thought to date.