Sintered Titanium-Hydroxyapatite Composites as Artificial Bones

The design of engineered bone substitutes takes biocompatibility and mechanical compatibility into account as prerequisite requirements. Titanium (Ti) and hydroxyapatite (HA) with chemical formula of Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2, show good biocompatibility and are known as biomaterials. To combine metal powder (Ti) and ceramic powder (HA) as a composite material with mechanical properties comparable to those of natural bones needs strategy. In this work, powder metallurgy process was employed to produce Ti-HA composites, with nominal HA powder contents in the range of 0-100 vol.%. Mixtures of Ti and HA powders were pressed in a rigid die. Sintering was performed in vacuum atmosphere. The as-sintered specimens were tested on biocompatibility in a human-osteoblast cells. It was found that processing and materials parameters, including compaction pressure, control the composite microstructures and mechanical properties. Laboratory bone tissue culturing showed that a bone tissue could grow on the artificial bones (sintered Ti-HA composites).