Structural, Spectroscopic, and Biological Characterization of Novel Rubidium(I) and Europium(III) Co-Doped Nano-Hydroxyapatite Materials and Their Potential Use in Regenerative Medicine

Abstract

This research investigates hydrothermally synthesized hydroxyapatite nanoparticles doped with rubidium(I) and europium(III) ions. Investigation focused on establishing the influence of co-doped Eu3+ and Rb+ ions on hydroxyapatite lattice. Therefore, structural, and morphological properties were characterized via using X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), as well as transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. Furthermore, this investigation evaluates the impact of various Rb+ ion doping concentrations on the distinct red emission of co-doped Eu3+ ions. Hence, luminescence properties of the obtained materials were evaluated by measuring emission excitation, emission spectra, and luminescence decays. As established by numerous studies, synthetic hydroxyapatite has excellent application in biomedical field, as it is fully biocompatible. Its biocompatible makes it highly useful in the biomedical field as a bone fracture filler or hydroxyapatite coated dental implant. By the incorporation of Eu3+ ions and Rb+ ions we established the impact these co-doped ions have on the biocompatibility of hydroxyapatite powders. Therefore, biocompatibility toward a ram’s red blood cells was evaluated to exclude potential cytotoxic features of the synthesized compounds. Additionally, experimental in vitro bioactive properties of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles doped with Rb+ and Eu3+ ions were established using a mouse osteoblast model. These properties are discussed in detail as they contribute to a novel method in regenerative medicine.

Keywords

• nanosized hydroxyapatite
• Eu³⁺ ion-doping
• Rb⁺ ion-doping
• regenerative medicine
• tissue engineering
• photoluminescence