Design and processing of ZnO doped tricalcium phosphate based materials: Influence of β/α polymorph phase assemblage on microstructural evolution

Tricalcium phosphate (TCP) based biomaterials are excellent candidates in hard tissue engineering due to their similarity to the natural bone composition and outstanding properties. The presence of additives such as (Mg²⁺, Zn ²⁺, F⁻, CO₃²⁻ and/or SiO₄⁻) in solid solution in the structure of TCP, affects the stability of its different polymorphs and therefore the properties of TCP based biomaterials. It is known that the incorporation of zinc in TCP in the non-toxic level stimulates bone growth and its mineralization, hence its interest. Nevertheless its effect on phase assemblage and microstructure evolution has not been clearly established. The main purpose of this study was to synthesize TCP and zinc doped monophasic/biphasic α/β-TCP dense biomaterials, by solid-state sintering process, with different ZnO contents and controlled phase proportions and microstructure on the final material. The effect of ZnO content and sintering temperature on phase assemblage, densification and microstructural evolution has been investigated.