The Effects of Sintering Temperature on Densification and Mechanical Properties of Hydroxyapatite/Sodium Alginate Biocomposites

Abstract

Hydroxyapatite (HA) has been studied for their excellent performances which are suitable for use in bone defects or regeneration of bone. Hydroxyapatite (HA) has poor mechanical properties which make it limited used in a load bearing area. In this case, sodium alginate (SA) was used to be mixed with hydroxyapatite (HA) by using precipitation method to increase the mechanical and physical properties. The mixing of hydroxyapatite/sodium alginate effectively increases the densification and hardness of hydroxyapatite. It could contribute to the development of the artificial implants of hydroxyapatite (HA) for bone implants applications in load bearing area. The behaviors during densification were studied together with the mechanical properties of samples. The influence of mixed powder and the sintering temperature on densification, microstructure and mechanical properties of hydroxyapatite (HA)/sodium alginate (SA) composite were studied. The maximum density were attained by 99.5/0.5% (HA/SA) at 1.47g/cm3 and 1.82g/cm3 for both temperature 1000°C and 1100°C respectively while, the maximum values of hardness were also attained by 99.5/0.5% for temperature 1000°C and 1100°C at 0.053GPa and 0.266GPa respectively.