Preparation of highly porous hydroxyapatite from cuttlefish bone

Hydroxyapatite structures for tissue engineering applications have been produced by hydrothermal (HT) treatment of aragonite in the form of cuttlefish bone at 200°C. Aragonite (CaCO 3 ) monoliths were completely transformed into hydroxyapatite after 48 h of HT treatment. The substitution of CO 3 2− groups predominantly into the PO 4 3− sites of the Ca 10 (PO 4 ) 6 (OH) 2 structure was suggested by FT-IR spectroscopy and Rietveld structure refinement. The intensity of the ν 3 PO 4 3− bands increase, while the intensity of the ν 2 CO 3 2− bands decrease with the duration of HT treatment resulting in the formation of carbonate incorporating hydroxyapatite. The SEM micrographs have shown that the interconnected hollow structure with pillars connecting parallel lamellae in cuttlefish bone is maintained after conversion. Specific surface area ( S BET ) and total pore volume increased and mean pore size decreased by HT treatment.