Novel calcium phosphate ceramics prepared by powder sintering and crystallization of glasses in the pyrophosphate region

Abstract

Silica-free phosphate glasses containing small amounts of Na2O and TiO2 with the composition of Ca/P = 1 in atomic ratio were obtained. When powder compacts of the glasses were heated at 850 °C, they crystallized and subsequently sintered, resulting in glass-ceramics containing β–Ca3(PO4)2 and β–Ca2P2O7 crystalline phases. The glass-ceramics show a relatively high fracture toughness of KIC ≈ 2 MPa m0.5. By soaking in simulated body fluid at 37 °C, a calcium phosphate phase was formed newly on the surface of the glass-ceramics.