Abstract:
Radiation transfer in layers of densely packed aggregates of hydroxyapatite
nanoparticles was studied for a spectral range from 300 to 1100 nm using diffuse reflectance
measurements and the modeling of the light transfer properties of the layers. The studied
samples of dispersed biogenic hydroxyapatite were obtained from animal bone material (bovine bones) using fast pyrolysis followed by grinding and pressing into tablets.
A distinctive feature is the high reflectivity (high albedo) of the obtained samples, which is
practically independent of the wavelength in the studied spectral range and comparable to
the reflectivity of the diffuse reflectance standard based on Spectralon. The modeling of
the light transfer properties of the studied samples within the framework of the effective
medium theory (using coherent potential approximation) made it possible to establish the
weak dependence of the mean scattering-free path and the mean transport-free path of light
propagation in the medium on the wavelength, which is consistent with the features observed in the experiment. Possible prospects for the use of nanostructured hydroxyapatite
as photonic material are discussed.
