The sintering behaviour and mechanical properties of hydroxyapatite - based composites for bone tissue regeneration

Bone reconstruction is a complex process which involves an osteoconductive matrix, osteoinductive signaling, osteogenic cells, vascularization and mechanical stability. Lately, to improve the healing of the bone defects and to accelerate the bone fusion and bone augmentation, bioceramic composite materials have been used as bone substitutes in the field of orthopedics and dentistry, as well as in cosmetic surgery. Of all types of bioceramics, the most used is hydroxyapatite, because of its similar properties to those of the human bone and better mechanical properties compared to β-tricalcium phosphate [1]. Currently, the most used raw materials sources for obtaining the hydroxyapatite are: bovine bone, seashells, corals, oyster shell, eggshells and human teeth. There are two common ways to obtain hydroxyapatite: synthetically and naturally. Generally, for the improvement of the mechanical properties and the structural one, hydroxyapatite is subjected to the sintering process. Considering the disadvantages of hydroxyapatite such as poor biodegradation rate, β-TCP has been developed, which has some disadvantages too, such as brittleness. For this reason, the aim of this study is to look into the effect of adding magnesium oxide on the sintering behavior, the structure and the mechanical properties of the hydroxyapatite-tricalcium phosphate composites.