Abstract
Porous zirconia (ZrO2), magnesia (MgO) and zirconia/magnesia (ZrO2/MgO) ceramics were synthesised by sintering and designated as ZrO2(100), ZrO2(75)MgO(25), ZrO2(50)MgO(50), ZrO2(25)MgO(75), MgO(100) based on their composition. The ceramic samples were characterised by means of scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and atomic absorption spectrometry to explore the incorporation of Mg atoms into the zirconia lattice. The resulting porosity of the samples was calculated based on the composition and density. The final porosity of the cylinder-shaped ceramic samples ranged between 30 and 37%. The mechanical analysis exhibited that the Young modulus increased and the microstress decreased with increasing magnesia amount, with values ranging from 175 GPa for zirconia to 301 GPa for magnesia. The adhesion, viability, proliferation and osteogenic activity of MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblastic cells cultured on the zirconia/magnesia ceramics was found to increase, with the magnesia-containing ceramics exhibiting higher values of calcium mineralisation. The results from the mechanical analysis, the ALP activity, the calcium and collagen production demonstrate that the zirconia/magnesia ceramics possess robust osteoinductive capacity, therefore holding great potential for bone tissue engineering.
Highlights
Zirconia (ZrO2 ) ceramic materials are widely used in clinical applications in the form of load-bearing and wear-resistant implants such as in bone regeneration since they are biocompatible and possess high mechanical strength [1,2]
Our findings demonstrate similar levels of collagen production and higher calcium production on magnesia-containing ceramics compared to another study reporting on pre-osteoblasts cultured on magnesia stabilised zirconia ceramics [34], and show higher calcium mineralisation compared to porous alumina and alumina/zirconia ceramics [14]
We synthesised by sintering porous zirconia, magnesia and zirconia/magnesia ceramic samples, designated as ZrO2/MgO ceramics. Lighter (ZrO2) (100), ZrO2 (75)MgO(25), ZrO2 (50)MgO(50),ZrO2 (25)
Summary
Zirconia (ZrO2 ) ceramic materials are widely used in clinical applications in the form of load-bearing and wear-resistant implants such as in bone regeneration since they are biocompatible and possess high mechanical strength [1,2]. By mixing ZrO2 with other metallic oxides such as magnesia (MgO), calcia (CaO) or yttria (Y2 O3 ), an increased stability of tetragonal and/or cubic phase can be obtained at lower temperatures [4]. Magnesia-stabilised zirconia (MSZ) is biocompatible and exhibits high mechanical strength and excellent corrosion resistance without experiencing phase transformation, and it was found to have better degradation resistance in vivo [6]
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