Strontium, cerium co-substituted hydroxyapatite nanoparticles: Synthesis, characterization, antibacterial activity towards prokaryotic strains and in vitro studies

Dual ionic substitutions have been anticipated as a tool to improve the mechanical and biological properties of hydroxyapatite (HA). The present work deals with the synthesis of strontium/cerium co-substituted HA nanoparticles (Ca/Sr/Ce–HA) by microwave irradiation method. The properties of pure HA can be tailored to the preferred extent by simultaneous substitution of Sr2+ and Ce3+. To improve the bioactivity of pure HA, strontium (Sr2+) was substituted into it and further co substituted by different concentrations (0.05, 0.075 and 0.1 M) of cerium (Ce3+) to enhance the antibacterial property. All the as-synthesized samples were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA). Moreover the antibacterial activity of the as-synthesized nanoparticles was evaluated against two prokaryotic strains. The in vitro bioactivity of the as prepared Ca/Sr/Ce–HA nanoparticles at optimum concentration (0.1 M) of Ce3+ was examined by soaking it in simulated body fluid (SBF) for various days. The as prepared Ca/Sr/Ce–HA sample at optimum concentration (0.1 M) of Ce3+ can act as a potential candidate for biomedical applications with good antibacterial property and bone bonding ability.