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Synthesis of hollow spherical calcium phosphate nanoparticles using polymeric nanotemplates

Wiliana Tjandra1, Palaniswamy Ravi1, Jia Yao1,2 and Kam C Tam1,3

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Poly(methylmethacrylate)-block-poly(methacrylic acid) (PMMA-b-PMAA) copolymer was synthesized by an atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) technique. The block copolymer was employed as a template for the controlled precipitation of calcium phosphate from aqueous solution at different pH values. A Ca2+ ion selective electrode was used to study the interactions between Ca2+ ions and the polymer, which indicated a possible weak interaction between Ca2+ and un-ionized MAA segments at pH~4.0 in addition to electrostatic interaction between Ca2+ and ionized MAA segments at higher pH. An interesting structure representing that of a superstructure consisting of hybrid nano-filaments was observed by the transmission electron microscope at pH~4.0. The filaments originated from a core of similar size to primary polymer aggregates, suggesting that cooperative interactions at a local level between dissolving calcium phosphate clusters and disassembling polymer segments are responsible for the secondary growth process. A hollow spherical morphology was obtained at pH~7.0 and 9.0. Such calcium phosphate/polymer monohybrids with complex morphologies are interesting and might be useful as novel drug delivery carriers, ceramics precursors, reinforcing fillers or biomedical implants.


PACS

81.16.-c Methods of nanofabrication and processing

61.46.Df Structure of nanocrystals and nanoparticles ("colloidal" quantum dots but not gate-isolated embedded quantum dots)

81.07.-b Nanoscale materials and structures: fabrication and characterization

68.37.Lp Transmission electron microscopy (TEM)

Subjects

Surfaces, interfaces and thin films

Nanoscale science and low-D systems

Dates

Issue 24 (28 December 2006)

Received 6 September 2006, in final form 10 October 2006

Published 22 November 2006



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