EVALUATION OF HYDROXYAPATITE-FORSTERITE-BIOACTIVE GLASS COMPOSITE NANOPOWDER PREPARED VIA SOL-GEL METHOD

Abstract

In spite of attractive bioactivity of bioactive ceramics i.e. hydroxyapatite and bioactive glasses, their poor mechanical properties have restricted their clinical applications. To overcome these limitations, an alternative approach suggested is preparation a composite including these bioactive ceramics with others. It is expected that a ceramic reinforcement with reduced grain size below 100 nm promotes theirs. The aim of this work was fabrication and characterization of hydroxyapatite-forsterite-bioglass composite nanopowder. Novel hydroxyapatite-forsterite-bioglass composite nanopowder was synthesized by incorporation of the forsterite and bioactive glass in hydroxyapatite matrix via a sol-gel process. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy techniques were utilized in order to evaluate the phase composition, agglomerates size distribution, morphology and particle size and functional groups of synthesized. The effects of sintering temperature and time were also investigated. Results showed that the appropriate temperature for calcination was 600°C and the particle size of composite nanopowder was about 60-70nm. The decomposition of hydroxyapatite was increased with the increase of the sintering temperature and sintering time. Obtained results indicate that prepared composite nanopowder could be a good candidate for medical applications.