Abstract
The influence of polymeric and non-polymeric additives as dispersants for calcium hydropxyapatite, HAP, was investigated in an aqueous system. The polymeric additives tested include: homo-polymers of acrylic acid (AA), maleic acid, methacrylic acid, 2-acrylamido 2-methylpropane sulfonic acid, (SA); co-polymer of AA:SA and ter-polymers of AA:SA:t-bAM (tertiary butyl acrylamide) and AA:SA:SS (sulfonated styrene). It was found that polymer architecture i.e., monomer type, monomer content, molecular weight, and polymerization solvent, strongly influences the performance of polymer as HAP dispersant. The non-polymeric additives investigated include: phosphonates and surfactants. The dispersancy data reveal that non-polymeric additives are inferior to polymeric additives in dispersing HAP.
