Calcium phosphates offer outstanding biological adaptability. Thanks to their specific physico-chemical properties they are one of the most widely used materials in bone tissue engineering applications. The search for an innovative and economic strategy of synthesizing their different forms has been drawing considerable attention in the field. Herein, we report on a facile hydrothermal process in the presence of ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid and monoethanolamine to obtain various forms of calcium phosphates. The monoethanolamine served as an alkaline source and crystal growth modifier, while ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid was used to control the Ca²⁺ supersaturation level under high temperature and high pressure conditions. The obtained inorganic compounds were examined for their elemental composition, morphology, and structure using scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and powder x-ray diffraction. We were able to selectively synthesize monetite plate-like microcrystals as well as hydroxyapatite plates and nanofibers by simply varying the concentration of monoethanolamine.

Investigations into the surface modification of a Ti-15Mo alloy via plasma electrolytic oxidation are reported. The oxidation process was conducted in a solution containing Ca(H2PO2)2, H 3PO4, or (HCOO)2Ca. Anodisation was performed at voltages in the range of 100-400 V. The morphology of the sample surface did not change during alloy oxidation at lower voltages. Higher voltages led to the incorporation of calcium and phosphorus or of calcium only into the formed oxide layer and to significant modification of the surface morphology. Based on the SEM and EDX analysis results, a set of samples was selected for further investigations. To study the surface of the Ti-Mo alloy after anodic oxidation, we used scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), thin-layer X-ray diffraction (TL-XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The electrochemical characteristics of the modified alloy in Ringer's solution were determined. Anodisation results in a considerable increase in the corrosion resistance of the Ti-15Mo alloy. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd