Preparation of Fibrous, Porous Hydroxyapatite Ceramics from Hydroxyapatite Whiskers |
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Authors: | Wojciech L Suchanek Masahiro Yoshimura |
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Affiliation: | Center for Materials Design, Materials and Structures Laboratory, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226, Japan |
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Abstract: | Hydroxyapatite (HAp) whiskers have been used to prepare fibrous, porous HAp ceramics. The fibrous microstructure was retained in all cases after hot-pressing the HAp whiskers at 800-900°C (1 h, 30 MPa). The fracture path in the fibrous, porous HAp ceramics was partially intergranular, indicating the occurrence of crack deflection, bridging, and pull-out effects. When the whiskers were hot-pressed at 1000-1100°C (1 h, 30 MPa), only large equiaxed grains were present in the HAp ceramics; thus no toughening occurred. When nonstoichiometric HAp whiskers were used to fabricate a porous body, β-TCP precipitated on the whisker surface without destroying the fibrous microstructure. Sintering the HAp whiskers is thus an easy way for in situ fabrication of HAp/β-TCP fibrous, porous materials with a controlled biodegradation rate. |
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