Abstract
Silver nanoparticle/hydroxyapatite (Ag/HAp) hybrids were synthesized in an aqueous solution where silver ions were reduced by sodium tetrahydroborate in a slurry containing hydroxyapatite. The Ag/HAp hybrids contained silver nanoparticles with a size of approximately 12 nm existing on the surface of the hydroxyapatite. The number of silver nanoparticles in the Ag/HAp hybrids increased with increasing concentration of silver nitrate in the starting solution. The microstructure of the hydroxyapatite was the same both before and after hybridization with the silver nanoparticles. The hybrids free from surfactant were successfully synthesized through the hybridization process even without addition of surfactants. The use of a surfactant in the synthesis of the Ag/HAp hybrids did not influence the average particle size of the silver nanoparticles in the Ag/HAp hybrids, but the use of a surfactant made the silver nanoparticles form a monodispersion, and the number of silver nanoparticles deposited on the HAp decreased.
