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HAp Crystals (hap + crystal)
Selected AbstractsMicrostructural Engineering of Hydroxyapatite Membranes to Enhance Proton ConductivityADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS, Issue 24 2009Dongxia Liu Abstract A new approach to enhancing proton conductivity of ceramics is demonstrated by aligning proton conductive pathways and eliminating resistive grain boundaries. Hydroxyapatite (HAP) membranes are synthesized by multistage crystallization onto palladium. The synthesis involves three steps: electrochemical deposition of HAP seeds, secondary hydrothermal crystallization onto the seed layer to promote c -axis growth normal to the substrate, and tertiary hydrothermal crystallization to promote a- axis growth to fill the gaps between the aligned crystals. The c -axis alignment with crystal domains spanning the membrane thickness significantly enhances proton conduction since protons are primarily transported along the c -axes of HAP crystals. The novel HAP membranes display proton conductivity almost four orders of magnitude higher than traditional sintered HAP ceramics. The HAP membranes on palladium hydrogen membrane substrates hold promise for use in intermediate-temperature fuel cells, chemical sensors, and other devices. The synthesis approach presented may also be applied to other ion-conducting membrane materials to enhance transport properties. [source] Nucleation of Hydroxyapatite Crystal through Chemical Interaction with CollagenJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CERAMIC SOCIETY, Issue 11 2000Sang-Hoon Rhee The nucleation of hydroxyapatite (HAp) crystal through chemical interaction with collagen was investigated. A collagen membrane was soaked in a supersaturated simulated body fluid (1.5 SBF) solution with ion concentrations at 1.5 times that of normal simulated body fluid (1.0 SBF). A few carbonate-containing HAp crystals were formed mostly on the edge-side of the collagen membrane after 4 weeks. In the Fourier-transform infrared spectometry (FTIR) results, the carboxylate band of the collagen membrane showed red chemical shifts after the formation of HAp crystals, which coincided well with the decrease of the calculated bond orders of the carboxylate group when chelated with a calcium ion, which emulated the first-step nucleation of HAp crystal on the carboxylate group of collagen. The result implies that the binding of a calcium ion to the carboxylate group of collagen is one of the key factors for the nucleation of HAp crystals in a 1.5 SBF solution. [source] |