The aim of this work is to show that Ni-free austenitic stainless steels with nanostructure and their nanocomposites with hydroxyapatite can be synthesized by mechanical alloying, heat treatment and nitriding of elemental microcrystalline powders with addition of hydroxyapatite (HA). Hydroxyapatite was introduced into stainless steel because it is intensively studied for bone repair and replacement applications. Nickel-free austenitic stainless steels seem to have better mechanical properties, corrosion resistance and biocompatibility compared to 316L stainless steels. Therefore it's combination with hydroxyapatite that has high biocompatibility and ability to bond to bone could have improved properties, as well. To confirm nanocrystalline structure of obtained material and reveal topographical features of the surface, small-angle X-ray analysis (SAXS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used. Results are consistent and the mean grain size of the obtained materials do not exceed 100 nm. (C) 2012 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.