Effect of Slurry Formulation on Morphology and Flowability of Spray-Dried Alumina/Zirconia Composite Particles

Abstract

Alumina/zirconia composite materials are widely used for biomedical applications because of their high biocompatibility and good mechanical properties. In this work, the effects of slurry solid content and binder type are studied on the characteristics of spray-dried composite particles. The tap density and particle size of composite particles increase while the compressibility index decreases with increasing solid content of slurry. An analysis of the SEM micrographs of spray-dried particles confirms the formation of dense composite particles of round shape without internal holes with 70 wt.% slurry using PVA+PEG co-binder.