Glycerin-assisted solvothermal synthesis of Fe3(PO4)2(OH)2 microspheres.

Iron hydroxyl phosphate (Fe 3 (PO 4 ) 2 (OH) 2 ) microspheres with diameters of several micrometers have been successfully prepared using Fe(NO 3 ) 3 ·9H 2 O and NaH 2 PO 4 ·2H 2 O in a mixed solvent of deionized water and glycerin by a facile one-step solvothermal method. The crystal phase of the product changes from poorly crystallized FePO 4 ·2H 2 O nanoparticles into well-crystallized Fe 3 (PO 4 ) 2 (OH) 2 microspheres as the amount of glycerin increases. The as-prepared Fe 3 (PO 4 ) 2 (OH) 2 microspheres can transform into FePO 4 through thermal treatment at 800 °C in air. The cytotoxicity tests show that the as-prepared Fe 3 (PO 4 ) 2 (OH) 2 microspheres have good biocompatibility. We expect that the as-prepared Fe 3 (PO 4 ) 2 (OH) 2 microspheres are promising for the applications in various fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]