Preparation and characterisation of porous hydroxyapatite bioceramic via a slip-casting route

Porous hydroxyapatite bioceramic was fabricated using a casting method by mixing a polymeric powder with a slip containing fine hydroxyapatite powders. The rheology of the ceramic slip was examined. After sintering, the resultant porous hydroxyapatite bioceramic was characterised in terms of the porous microstructure and mechanical properties. The experimental results demonstrated that the resultant porous ceramic with a successful control of pore size and porosity characters can be obtained. The flexural strength (of) of the porous hydroxyapatite ceramic decreased with increased macropore size and correlated well with the porosity (p) by an exponential function: sigma f = 115 exp (-4.5 p) MPa. The Young's modulus (E) of the porous bioceramic can also be adequately described by E = 140 exp (-4.2p). (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Limited and Techna S.r.l. All rights reserved.