Abstract
Synthesis of nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite (HAp) by coprecipitation is presented. It is shown that the addition of PolyAcrylicAcid (PAA) acts as a crystal-growth inhibitor. In this way, needle-like nanoapatite crystals with a length of less than 100 nm are obtained. The obtained nanoparticles do not agglomerate in solution, which is believed to be due to the bonding of PAA to the surface of the apatite nanocrystals. The nanoparticles are stable into solution and they can be tailored for different applications such as coatings, composites, densified apatite and cements by controlling the size and the reactivity of the particles.
