Papers by Keyword: Nanocrystalline Apatites

Abstract: Composite systems composed of nanocrystalline apatites and oligolactide-based polymer networks were prepared resulting in malleable and even injectable formulations which can be cured to compact materials at body temperature. Porous devices with inter-connective porosity were obtained after addition of suitable foaming agents to the composite mixtures. Setting time, porosity and mechanical properties of the composites can be properly adjusted by varying the educt composition. The determined compressive strengths and Young’s moduli of the porous composites perfectly match the mechanical characteristics of cancellous bone material. Preliminary in vitro cell culture experiments with compact composite materials demonstrated their good cytocompatibility. Based on these findings, the synthesized nano-structured composites represent promising candidates for the development of new biomaterials usable in hard tissue regeneration.

Abstract: Calcium phosphates (Ca-P) are major constituents of calcified tissues, and are also extensively used for the elaboration of biomaterials. However, the usual high-temperature sintering processes generally lead to strong alterations of their chemical, physical and biological properties. Spark plasma sintering (SPS) is a non-conventional sintering technique based on the use of pulsed current, enabling fast heating and cooling rates, and lower sintering temperatures are often observed. The sintering of several orthophosphates (DCPD, amorphous TCP, beta-TCP, OCP, HA and biomimetic nanocrystalline apatites) by SPS was investigated in order to track potential advantages of this technique over usual Ca-P sintering methods. Special attention was given to the SPS consolidation of highly bioactive nanocrystalline apatites.