Fabrication and Characterization of Porcine Bone-Derived Hydroxyapatite-Alumina Biocomposite

摘要

The main function of a bone graft is to support bone in growth, to induce bone healing, and to facilitate bone regeneration. Synthetic bone grafts are used since it can be easily modified according to the properties needed for a good bone substitute. For this study, a hydroxyapatite-alumina biocomposite was fabricated via sintering at 1000°C. Hydroxyapatite (HAp) was extracted from porcine bones by means of calcination. Amounts of HAp, alumina, and starch were varied to determine the compositional effects in mechanical properties and biocompatibility. The produced biocomposites were found to be compact and solid with minimal pores at the surface. Also, surface grains vary in sizes. Compression tests were done and the calculated maximum stresses range from 45.46 To 219.02 MPa. The sample with 80wt% HAp-10wt% alumina-10wt% starch has the best compressive strength. While the three-day immersion test using simulated body fluid yielded positive results as the samples were found to be stable with the highest weight loss being only 2.36%.