Microstructural features of synthetic ceramized chlorapatite in comparison with human enamel crystals

Microstructural features of a series of synthetic calcium chlorapatitic ceramics are characterized and reported in this paper and compared with those gained by the identical analytical procedures on human enamel, which is constituted of hydroxyapatite. Some interesting differences are shown, particularly in the compounds with the highest levels of chlorine. Such differences concern the aggregation arrangement of the materials, particularly in relation to local distortion in crystal lattice, grain shape, grain size, grain orientation and grain boundaries. The radiation damage introduced by the analyses and the intrinsic structural defects are different for chlorinated apatites and human enamel, showing that the ceramized synthetic chlorapatite has fewer structural defects and clearer grain boundaries than human enamel.