Characterization on Ti35Nb7Zr based hydroxyapatite composites prepared via rapid sintering for biomedical applications

Abstract

The TiNbZr/HA (hydroxyapatite) composites evoked widespread concern in biomedical application. However, their properties were affected by processing parameters, such as milling time, sintering temperature and pressure, etc., during sintering process. The Ti35Nb7Zr/ 10HA (hydroxyapatite) composites were herein synthesized via spark plasma sintering (SPS) at a range of temperatures (800, 900, 1000, 1100 and 1250°C). Results show that the composites are mainly composed of ¢-Ti, ¡-Ti, a little of HA and ceramic interphases, like Ti2O, CaTiO3, CaZrO3, CaO and TixPy. With the increase of sintering temperature, the the compressive strength of the composites increases from 960 to 2279 MPa, and the elastic modulus from 45 to 61 GPa, due to the increase of ceramic interphases. The vitro tests reveal that the composite sintered at 1000°C possesses excellent ability to induce the formation of bone-like apatite and cell proliferation. Therefore, the composite prepared at 1000°C with low modulus (52 GPa) and obvious bioactivity exhibits immense potential for biomedical applications.