Growth of Hydroxyapatite Crystal in the Presence of Organic Film

The growth of hydroxyapatite (HAp) crystal in the presence of hexadecylamine was investigated. Due to its high polarity and high charge density, the organic film could increase the ion supersaturation on its surface. Therefore the growth of pure HAp crystals was accelerated. Moreover, the positive headgroups of the organic film could act as recognized nucleation sites and orient the growth of HAp crystals along the <0001> direction.