Crystallization Characteristics and Microstructure of Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia / Hydroxyapatite Composite

Abstract

Good crystallized Hydroxyapatite was synthesized using H3PO4 and Ca(OH)2 as raw materials by wet chemical method and sintered at 800°C for 3h. The as-prepared HA powders were mixed with 15%, 20%, 25% yttria-stabilized m-ZrO2, respectively, and sintered at 900°C- 1200°C for 1h, respectively. The main phases and rules of phases changing with the content of yttria-stabilized m-ZrO2 and sintered temperature was investigated by XRD and the microstructure features of the composite powders were analysed by scanning electron microscopy. The results show that when the temperature is at 1000°C, HA starts to decompose to β-TCP and CaO, the m-ZrO2 is then partly converted into t-ZrO2 by partial consumption of CaO, which in turn results in a mixture of β-TCP and HA further. The CaO produced reacts further with m-ZrO2 generating a mixture of t-ZrO2 and CaZrO3 in different proportions. The microstructure of the HA-ZrO2 composite further indicates that when sintered at 1000°C for 1h, gray slice area represent a mixture of HA and a small amount of β-TCP. While in the white area, some spheric ZrO2 mixed with a negligible amount of CaO. When sintered at 1200°C, distinguished reduced spherical ZrO2 particles embed within mixed HA and β-TCP, which change from slice to agglomeration. As a result, when the sintered temperature is about 1000°C and the addition of m-ZrO2 reaches 20wt%, superior main phases are HA and t-ZrO2, which improves the combination of mechanical and biological properties.