Hydrogen phosphates play a critical structural role in amorphous calcium phosphates

Amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) is an intriguing mineral phase of calcium phosphate in its own right, in addition to its relevance in biomineralization. We hereby demonstrate that ACPs prepared by different synthetic routes such as the crosslinking of inorganic oligomers and polymer-induced liquid precursors have distinctive relative compositions of orthophosphate and hydrogen phosphate, and the extent of their hydrogen bonding with water. For all the ACPs or ACP-derived materials studied in this work, the species of hydrogen phosphate is the most important structural element. Depending on the synthetic pathways, orthophosphate and water, as well as their associated hydrogen bonds, may also play a role in the structural formation of ACPs.