Mechanical and physical characterization of hydroxyapatite/alumina biocomposites produced by the powder metallurgy route for biomedical applications

Caracterização mecânica e física de biocompósitos de hidroxiapatita / alumina produzidos pela rota de metalurgia do pó para aplicações biomédicas

ABSTRACT

The hydroxyapatite calcium phosphate based ceramic (Hap) is widely used for bone repair, as it is a biocompatible biomaterial and because it has osteoconductive and osteoinductive properties. However, the low mechanical strength of Hap may limit its applicability. Thus, the present work aims to improve the mechanical properties of Hap, associating it with alumina (Al₂O₃), using the powder metallurgy technique, which consists in the milling of the precursor powders in a planetary ball mill, uniaxial pressing and sintering. The microstructure and mechanical strength of the sintered samples were evaluated using density, microhardness, compressive strength and wettability tests. It was concluded that the use of Al₂O₃ in the composite improves the mechanical properties of Hap, while decreases its hydrophilic potential. Thus, the composition with 40% Hap / 60% Al₂O₃ was considered the best for biomedical applications.

Keywords
Hydroxyapatite; Alumina; Powder Metallurgy; Microstructure; Mechanical Strength