The Structure and Properties of Biogenic Hydroxyapatite Ceramics: Microwave and Conventional Sintering

H.Tovstonoh,
  
V.Skorokhod
 

I. M. Frantsevich Institute for Problems of Materials Science of the NAS of Ukraine, Omeliana Pritsaka str.,3, Kyiv, 03142, Ukraine
Powder Metallurgy - Kiev: Frantsevich Institute for Problems of Materials Science NASU, 2014, #09/10
http://www.materials.kiev.ua/article/1302

Abstract

The structure and properties of ceramics based on biogenic hydroxyapatite for medical applications produced by microwave and conventional sintering at 800, 900, 1000, and 1100 °C are studied. It is established that microwave sintering allows a 33 to 50% decrease in the minimum grain size in ceramics, which can be attributed to the specific influence of microwaves on the material structure in comparison with conventional sintering. The bioceramic samples produced by microwave sintering have stable porosity (~40%) and 30–59 MPa compressive strength, being close to that of native bone and 1.6 to 2 times higher than the compressive strength of samples prepared by conventional sintering. In vitro studies have shown that the solubility of bioceramics sintered in a microwave oven in saline is 1.7 to 5.5 times higher than the solubility of samples produced by conventional sintering. Thus, microwave sintering allows obtaining biogenic hydroxyapatite ceramics with improved structural and mechanical and biological properties for filling bone defects in orthopedics and traumatology.


BIOMATERIAL, COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH, HYDROXYAPATITE, MICROWAVE SINTERING, POROSITY, SOLUBILITY