Organic/Inorganic Hybrid Calcium Phosphate Biomaterials

摘要

Calcium alkyl phosphates and their strontium and magnesium analogues were synthesised by the reaction of aqueous metal salts with a range of alkyl phosphates of varying chain length and were characterised by X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric and FTIR analyses. These hybrid structures are based on alternating organic/metal phosphate regions and were found to exhibit a linear increase in interlayer separation upon increasing the length of the alkyl chain. Our analysis suggests a general formula for these phases of M(ROPO_3).nH_2O (where M = Ca, Sr, Mg and R = alkyl group), containing alkyl bilayers reminiscent of phospholipid bilayers found in biological membranes.