Mineral trioxide aggregate bone cement based on wet-prepared calcium silicate

To make tricalcium silicate (C3S), SiO2 precursors were mixed with Ca(OH)2 powder, and the mixtures were fired at 900 °C. One of the SiO2 precursors, H2SiO3, was prepared using Na silicate and HCl. Another precursor, Si(OH)4, was prepared using Si(OC2H5)4 and ethanol. Active Ca(OH)2 powder was prepared by hydration of CaO powder, which was obtained through calcination of CaCO3 powder. The obtained microcrystalline tricalcium silicate powders were mixed with CaSO4·1/2H2O to make mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) bone cement for dental purposes. The MTA bone cement powders were stirred and hydrated with DI H2O, and the hardened sample blocks showed good compressive strength. For the test blocks, mechanical strength was measured using a universal testing machine, and microstructural phase analysis was done using FESEM and XRD. Cement hardening occurred through hydration, decomposition, and recrystallization of C3S and CaSO4·2H2O and resulted in grain growth.