Effect of different calcination temperature on limestone-derived betha tricalcium phosphate prepared by wet chemical precipitation method

Betha tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP), Ca3(PO4)2, is one of the most widely used synthetic bone graft materials in dental and orthopedic applications. It has not only osteoconductive and osteoinductive properties but also excellent resorbability by the cell-mediated process that leads to bone regeneration. In this work, the β-TCP was prepared by the wet chemical precipitation method. A solution containing H3PO4 was added dropwise into the solution containing Ca(OH)2 until pH 8. The prepared chemical precursors were maintained to an atomic ratio Ca/P of 1.5. The mixed solution was centrifuged and washed to obtain milky white precipitate. Then, all prepared samples were dried at 150°C for 8 hours and further calcined at varied temperatures of 800, 1000, and 1200°C for 2 hours. The phase identification of obtained β-TCP powders was characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD). The XRD patterns showed the existence of β-TCP crystal phases with several of impurities, i.e. hydroxyapatite (HA). FTIR analysis exhibits characteristic bands of β-TCP including v4 PO4 (560–600 cm−1), v1 PO4 (960 cm−1), v3 PO4 (1020–1120 cm−1) functional groups functional groups. However, spectrum FTIR of samples with 800°C calcination temperature has the sharpest peaks followed by sample with 1000, 1100, and 1200°C respectively. The particle size distribution analysis of all samples indicates poly-dispersed particles and, in general, the size of particles increased with the increase of calcination temperature. SEM analysis confirms the increase of calcination temperature from an average grain size of 181 nm to an average grain size of 1.344 µm at 800 and 1200°C respectively.