Influence of Ta2O5 doping on mechanical and biological properties of silicate glass-ceramics

Abstract

The mechanical properties of silicate glass-ceramics were evaluated based on the compressive strength tests. It was found that Ta2O5 addition improved densification, refinement of the microstructure and toughening of the bodies. The maximum compressive strength of the bodies with 1 mol% Ta2O5 was increased 3-fold (245.92 ±0.3 MPa) in comparison to undoped glass-ceramics which was measured to be 89.04 ±0.3 MPa, while for 3 mol% it became 4-fold (387.12 ±0.4 MPa) greater. The addition of Ta2O5 stabilized the system by controlling the biodegradation of the glass-ceramics. It effectively depressed the apatite formation as by addition of 3 mol% Ta2O5 no apatite layer was observed. It may be concluded from this study that mechanical and physical properties can be improved by the addition of Ta2O5, but at a cost of bioactivity. Still the optimized composition having Ta2O5 ≤ 1 mol% may provide appropriate strength of biomaterials for high load bearing applications.