Fabrication and Characterization of Porous Hydroxyapatite Scaffolds

Using a polyurethane foam replica method, porous hydroxyapatite scaffolds (PHS) were fabricated using conventional and microwave sintering techniques. The microstructure and material properties of the PHS, such as pore size, grain size, relative density and compressive strength, were investigated at different sintering temperatures and holding times to determine the optimal sintering conditions. There were interconnected pores whose sizes ranged between about 300 mu m and 700 mu m. At a conventional sintering temperature of 1100 degrees C, the scaffold had a porous microstructure, which became denser and saw the occurrence of grain growth when the temperature was increased up to 1300 degrees C. In the case of microwave sintering, even at low sintering temperature and short holding time the microstructure was much denser and had smaller grains. As the holding time of the microwave sintering was increased, higher densification was observed and also the relative density and compressive strength increased. The compressive strength values of PHS were 2.3MPa and 1.8MPa when conventional and microwave sintering was applied at 1300 degrees C, respectively.