ABSTRACT
The β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) is a synthetic material that present similar chemical composition to bone tissue and is frequently used as biomaterial. In this research, β-TCP was synthesized by solid state reaction and characterized by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Infrared (IR) Spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX). The surface area and particle size distribution were determined by BET method (BrunauerEmmet-Teller). A cytotoxicity test was performed according to ISO 10993-5 and ISO 10993-12. Diffraction patterns (XRD) and characteristic functional groups (IR) of material allowed to confirm the formation of the β-TCP phase. BET leaded to verification of the nanometric character of the synthesized particles. SEM allowed to compare the evolution of the microstructural morphology before and after heat treatment. Molar ratio of calcium phosphate nanoparticles, usually used to identify the different phases of apatites, was calculated by EDX. In the cytotoxicity assay, the samples showed no cellular morphological changes or inhibition of cell growth, indicating that the material is non-toxic. All these characterizations suggest that the obtained β-tricalcium phosphate may be potentially used for biomedical applications.
Keywords
Biomaterials; β-Tricalcium Phosphate; Cytotoxicity
