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Updated: Apr 30, 2026
Rapid Mix Preparation of Bioinspired Nanoscale Hydroxyapatite for Biomedical Applications
Published on: February 23, 2017
Evidence of noncentrosymmetry of human tooth hydroxyapatite crystals
Enrico Mugnaioli1, José Reyes-Gasga, Ute Kolb
1Institut für Physikalische Chemie, Johannes-Gutenberg-Universität, Mainz Welderweg11, 55099 Mainz (Germany).
Abstract:
Herein, we investigate human single hydroxyapatite crystals (enamel and dentine) by convergent-beam electron diffraction (CBED) and automated electron-diffraction tomography (ADT). The CBED pattern shows the absence of the mirror plane perpendicular to the c axis leading to the P63 space group instead of the P63 /m space group considered for larger-scale crystals, this is confirmed by ADT. This experimental evidence is of prime importance for understanding the morphogenesis and the architectural organization of calcified tissues.
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