Abstract
Zirconia is a well-known bioceramic for dental and orthopedic applications due to its mechanical and aesthetic properties. However, it lacks sufficient bioactivity to bond with the living bone. This study was aimed to induce bioactivity to tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (3Y-TZP) by simple biomimetic aqueous solution treatment. First, hydrofluoric acid (HF) etching was performed to enhance the surface roughness of the 3Y-TZP surface. Then, the samples were treated with two types of aqueous solutions containing calcium and phosphate ions (Ca-P solutions); one solution additionally contained magnesium (Mg) ions and the other without Mg ions. Finally, hydroxyapatite (HAp)-forming ability was evaluated by the conventional simulated body fluid (SBF) test, and the effect of Mg ions on the adhesive strength of the HAp layer to the roughened 3Y-TZP surface was also investigated. The results concluded that there were no noticeable differences in the effect of Mg ions on the HAp-forming ability, and both types of solution treatments resulted in dense HAp formation in 1 day SBF immersion. However, incorporation of Mg ions in one of the Ca-P solutions significantly improved the adhesive strength of the HAp layer to the HF-etched 3Y-TZP substrate compared to the Ca-P solution with no Mg ions.
Highlights
Zirconia is a highly considered biocompatible ceramic, known as the “ceramic steel”due to its outstanding mechanical properties [1,2]
When mixed with 2–3 mol% yttria, zirconia is stabilized into the tetragonal phase and known as yttria-stabilized zirconia or tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (3Y-TZP). 3Y-TZP shows excellent fracture toughness and flexural strength, which is due to the phase transformation toughening that enhances resistance to the propagating crack
The samples were treated with two different types of Ca-P solutions one with and the other without Mg ions, to analyze the effect of Mg ions on the HAp layer formed in the simulated body fluid (SBF)
Summary
Zirconia is a highly considered biocompatible ceramic, known as the “ceramic steel”. Due to its outstanding mechanical properties [1,2]. This makes it highly suitable for orthopedic applications such as femoral heads and acetabular cups, and, in dentistry, it is used as crowns, implants, and abutments [2,3]. Zirconia exists in three crystal forms monoclinic, cubic, and tetragonal. Pure zirconia is in the monoclinic phase at room temperature. When mixed with 2–3 mol% yttria, zirconia is stabilized into the tetragonal phase and known as yttria-stabilized zirconia or tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (3Y-TZP). 3Y-TZP shows excellent fracture toughness and flexural strength, which is due to the phase transformation toughening that enhances resistance to the propagating crack.
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