Processing and characterization of glass reinforced biogenic hydroxyapatite composites with ferromagnetic additives

Abstract

Biogenic hydroxyapatite-glass composites, with addition of up to 2 wt.% of Fe or Fe3O4, were fabricated from biogenic hydroxyapatite powder and four types of reinforcing glasses by sintering under different conditions. It has been established that the relative density, mechanical and magnetic properties of the prepared composites depend on the composition and sintering conditions. The composites with 1 wt.% Fe or Fe3O4 sintered at 500°С in vacuum have a magnetic susceptibility of 2–3·10-3 cm3/g. This parameter decreases to 0.858·10-3 cm3/g for the specimens with 1 wt.% additives sintered at 800°С in vacuum and to 0.27–1.3·10-3cm3/g for the specimens with 2 wt.% additives sintered at 500°С under the usual atmospheric conditions. The magnetic susceptibility for the specimens with 2 wt.% additives sintered at 780°С under the same atmospheric conditions decreases to 0.24–1.25·10-6 cm3/g. These ferromagnetic additives influence the degradation rate in vitro within the first 40 min of the composite soaking. Short-term treatment of specimens by the magnetic field leads to an increase in the initial degradation rate, but insignificantly influences it within more prolonged soaking.

Keywords

• Bioceramics
• Hydroxyapatite-glass composites
• Magnetic susceptibility
• Porosity