Two new routes for producing porous bioactive ceramics: polyurethane precursors and microwave baking

摘要

There is a need for the development of processing routes for obtaining porous bioactive ceramics with an adequate combination of mechanical properties, associated to a suitable micro and macroporosity. The present work describes two innovative processing routes for producing bioactive porous ceramics. One is based on the use of a typical polyurethane (PU) foaming reaction to build up the original porous structure. The PU is then burn out and the porous ceramic structure obtained by sintering. The second route is based on a microwave baking process using a powder, containing corn starch, sodium carbonate and sodium pyrophosphate, that is added to the bioactive ceramic. The green bodies are then sintered.