Si-tricalcium phosphate cement: Preparation, characterization and bioactivity in SBF

Abstract

There are evidences considering the effectiveness of Si on enhancing biological properties of calcium phosphates; however, there are not many works relating to the Si-alpha-TCP bone cement. The influence of silicon doping on the properties of α-TCP cement was analyzed. Si-TCP was obtained by a solid state reaction employing CaCO 3, CaHPO 4 and CaSiO 3 and powder was analyzed by XRD, FTIR, XRF and BET specific area. Cement samples were analyzed for their surface of fracture morphology, mechanical resistance and SBF bioactivity. Cement mechanical resistance was not satisfactory for biomedical application; nonetheless, sample's surface was coated by an apatite layer after immersion in SBF. Notwithstanding, to ensure that silicon is the element responsible for increasing the material's bioactivity it is necessary to evaluate the in vivo performance of the bone cement obtained in this work.