Photoluminescent Eu(3+)-Doped Calcium Phosphate Bone Cement and Its Mechanical Properties

Calcium phosphate cements (CPC) are well-established bone replacement materials that have been used in dentistry and orthopedics for more than 25 years. The monitoring of bone cements and the associated healing processes in the human body is difficult and so far has often been achieved using cytotoxic X-ray contrast agent additives. These additives have a negative effect on the mechanical properties and setting time of the bone cement. In this paper, we present a novel approach to prepare contrastive CPC by the incorporation of luminescent Eu(3+)-doped hydroxyapatite (Eu:HAp) nanoparticles. Eu-doped CPC (Eu:CPC) exhibited enhanced mechanical properties compared to pure CPC. Furthermore, the red photoluminescence of Eu:CPC may allow the observation of CPC-related healing processes without the use of harmful ionizing radiation.