Structural Changes in Ceramic Carbonized Hydroxyapatite as a Result of Long-Term Storage at Room Temperature

Abstract

Carbonated hydroxyapatite (CHA) is the basic mineral component of animal and human bone. Therefore, it is widely used in medicine to repair bone defects. In orthopedic surgeries, ceramic implants are usually used as a biologically active defect filler. In the lattice of CHA carbonate ions can occupy two non-equivalent positions - A and B. A position corresponds to the position of OH- anions in the lattice of hydroxyapatite (HA), and B - PO43-. It is well known that substitution of B-positions with carbonate groups leads to significant distortions of HA lattice, which causes microstresses and crystalline defects in it. Therefore, CHA ceramics as a result of sintering is characterized by significant internal stresses whose relaxation at room temperature can lead to a change in both its phase composition and biological activity. By methods of chemical and X-ray structural analysis, infrared spectroscopy and electron scanning microscopy the ageing process of pressed CHA at room temperature, sintered in an atmosphere of dry carbon dioxide at temperatures 800÷1200 °C was studied. The phase composition and structure of freshly prepared and aged for two years ceramic samples were compared. It is shown that relaxation of internal stresses arising during sintering of presses causes plastic deformation of crystallites accompanied by redistribution of carbonate ions from B to A-position. As a result, displacement of OH- ions from channel (A) positions and decomposition of B-type CHA on CaO and A-type CHA becomes energetically advantageous.