Microwave-assisted rapid synthesis of lignocellulose/hydroxyapatite nanocomposites

Abstract Hydroxyapatite (HA) is the main inorganic constituent in vertebrate bones and teeth, and it is also an important biomaterial for the applications in tissue engineering and bone repair. Herein, we report the microwave-assisted method for the rapid synthesis of lignocellulose/HA nanocomposites using lignocellulose, CaCl 2 and NaH 2 PO 4 in the NaOH–urea aqueous solution. The effects of the microwave heating time and the concentration of the inorganic substances on the size and morphology of the products are investigated. The as-prepared products are characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermal analysis (DTA). The microwave-assisted synthetic strategy reported here may open a new window to synthesize composites for potential biomedical applications.