| Abstract: | Cadmium hydroxyapatite(Cd-Hap) hierarchical structures with novel morphologies were successfully synthesized via a simple template-free and mild hydrothermal method. By properly monitoring the initial p H value of the reaction solutions, the morphology of the Cd-Hap crystals could be tuned to be bunch-like(consist of nanosized cuboids), quasi peanut-like(consist of nanoparticles) and flower-like(consist of assembled bundles units). On the basis of a series of contrast experiments over time, the probable growth mechanism and fabrication process of the products were proposed. The optical and photocatalytic properties of the obtained Cd-Hap hierarchical structures were firstly investigated. The results showed that pure Cd-Hap could only absorb UV light with wavelength shorter than ~350 nm while hydroxyapatite supported Ag_3PO_4 composites showed a pronounced photocatalytic activity upon decomposition of methyl orange dye in aqueous solution under visible light irradiation. The support of hydroxyapatite can also greatly reduce the cost of expensive Ag_3PO_4 photocatalysts in practical applications. |
