Monitoring of hydroxyapatite conversion by luminescence intensity of Eu~(3+) ions during mineralization of Eu~(3+)-doped β-Ca_2SiO_4

摘要

β-Dicalcium silicate (β-Ca_2SiO_4) doped with Eu~(3+) was synthesized by sol-gel method. The luminescence intensity of the mineralization products formed during the hydroxyapatite (Ca_(10)(PO_4)_6(OH)_2, HA) conversion of Eu~(3+)-doped β-Ca_2SiO_4, in 0.25 M K_2HPO_4 solution, were detected using luminescence spectros-copy. The results indicated that the luminescence intensity of Eu~(3+) ion gradually depressed with prolonged mineralization time, and it could hardly be detected with the complete transformation from β-Ca_2SiO_4:Eu~(3+) to hydroxyapatite. The change of Eu~(3+) ionic concentrations in the mineralization products and the final solutions after conversion reaction, were further examined using energy-dispersive X-ray and inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry, respectively. This suggested that the process of mineralization can be monitored with the luminescence intensity of Eu~(3+) ions in the mineralization products. The current study will open up a new and simple in vivo avenue for in situ monitoring hydroxyapatite conversion with a fiber luminescence spectrometer.