Issue 19, 2021

(Hydroxy)apatite on cement: insights into a new surface treatment

Abstract

(Hydroxy)apatite (HAp) [Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2], has emerging potential as a cement coating material, with applications in environmental remediation, nuclear waste storage and architectural preservation. In these low temperature environments and when precipitating from aqueous solution on to a porous substrate, the crystal size, nucleation sites and modified surface properties created are key to designing the most effective coating. In this study we show that bacterial (biogenic) or chemical (abiotic) syntheses on to Portland cement alter these critical performance parameters. We identify that the most significant difference between these two methods is the rate of pH change of the solution during synthesis, as this alters the surface properties and layer structure of HAp formed on cement. We show that iron present in Portland cement is not incorporated into the HAp structure; that formation of nanoparticulate/nanocrystalline HAp begins in the top 20–50 μm of the cement pore structure; and that a slow pH rise in the deposition solution controlled by bacteria metabolic activity leads to a rougher and more hydrophilic HAp coating compared to the abiotic synthesis. The results present the possibility of tailoring the surface topography and hydrophilicity of (hydroxy)apatite coated cement.

Graphical abstract: (Hydroxy)apatite on cement: insights into a new surface treatment

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
09 Apr. 2021
Accepted
10 Jūl. 2021
First published
12 Jūl. 2021
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Mater. Adv., 2021,2, 6356-6368

(Hydroxy)apatite on cement: insights into a new surface treatment

R. J. Turner, P. Bots, A. Richardson, P. A. Bingham, A. Scrimshire, A. Brown, M. S’Ari, J. Harrington, S. A. Cumberland, J. C. Renshaw, M. J. Baker, P. R. Edwards, C. Jenkins and A. Hamilton, Mater. Adv., 2021, 2, 6356 DOI: 10.1039/D1MA00320H

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements