Eur. Phys. J. Special Topics 224, 1861-1869 (2015)
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjst/e2015-02505-9

Regular Article

Porous hydroxyapatite-TiO₂ nanocomposites from natural phosphates and their decolorization properties

Photoactive hydroxyapatite-TiO₂ nanopowders

¹ Laboratoire de Chimie Physique Générale, Université Mohammed V, Faculté des Sciences, BP. 1014, Rabat, Morocco
² Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ. Paris 06, CNRS, Collège de France, UMR 7574, Laboratoire de Chimie de la Matiere Condensée de Paris, 75005 Paris, France
³ Laboratoire National de Contrôle des Médicaments, Rabat, Morocco

^a e-mail: bouyarmane83@yahoo.fr
^b e-mail: sanaasa85@yahoo.fr
^c e-mail: ibtissam.elhanbali@gmail.com
^d e-mail: elkarbane76@yahoo.fr
^e e-mail: ramilncm@yahoo.fr
^f e-mail: sylvie.masse@upmc.fr
^g e-mail: laghzizi@hotmail.com
^h e-mail: thibaud.coradin@upmc.fr

Received: 21 November 2014
Revised: 21 May 2015
Published online: 30 July 2015

Abstract

Titanium dioxide-hydroxyapatite nanopowders were prepared by the simultaneous gelation of a titanium alkoxide and precipitation of a redisolved natural phosphate mineral. Evolution of the crystallinity, porous features and surface reactivity of these powders as a function of Ti content and heating was studied. Optimal conditions were found for the preparation of a low-cost nanocomposite powder that was as effective as pure titania for the decolorization of methylene blue solutions.