Properties of the cement materials in α-TCP-TTCP-C6H8O7-H2O

Some properties of alpha -tricalcium phosphate (alpha -TCP, Ca-3(PO4)(2)) - tetracalcium (TTCP, Ca-4(PO4)(2)O) - citric acid (C6H8O7)-water complexes were investigated as a basic study of new calcium phosphate bone cement. Under the experiment conditions used in our study, the relation between the setting time of the system cement and the concentration of citric acid solution shown concave type curve, when solution concentration was 0.2mol/L, the setting time was 8min, which was the shortest. Whereas the relation between 24h compressive strength of complexes and the concentration of citric acid solution was in convex type curve, when solution concentration was 0.2mol/L, the compressive strength was 39.0Mpa, which was the highest. Afterwards the crushed specimens were subjected to X-ray diffraction. The microstructure of the alpha -TCP-TTCP-C6H8O7-H2O complexes was observed by SEM.