A new generation of biomaterials with terbium-doped hydroxyapatite was obtained using a coprecipitation method. The synthesis of new materials with luminescent properties represents a challenging but important contribution due to their potential applications in biomedical science. The main objective of this study was to revel the influence of terbium ions on the design and structure of hydroxyapatite. Different concentrations of terbium, described by the chemical formula Ca10-xTbx(PO4)6(OH)2, where x is in the range of 0 to 1, were considered. The consequence of ion concentration on hydroxyapatite morphology was also investigated. The morphology and structure, as well as the optical properties, of the obtained nanomaterials were characterized using X-ray powder diffraction analysis (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared spectrometry (FTIR), SEM and TEM microscopy, UV-Vis and photoluminescence spectroscopies. The measurements revealed that terbium ions were integrated into the structure of hydroxyapatite within certain compositional limits. The biocompatibility and cytotoxicity of the obtained powders evaluated using MTT assay, oxidative stress assessment and fluorescent microscopy revealed the ability of the synthesized nanomaterials to be used for biological system imaging.
Keywords: biological system imaging; coprecipitation method; doped hydroxyapatite; photoluminescence; rare earth ions; terbium.