Calcium phosphate cements have previously been used for bone void repair applications, but recent advances suggest magnesium phosphate cements to be a better alternative. Compared to calcium phosphate cements, magnesium phosphate cements display greater initial strengths following cement reaction, as well as resorption time frames more appropriate for clinical application. This study involved the synthesis and characterization of. amorphous, semi-crystalline, and crystalline tri-magnesium phosphate powders and the subsequent generation of cements to test their functionality. The magnesium phosphate powders were synthesized using an aqueous precipitation reaction followed by thermal treatment, and characterization involving x-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. A 3.0M, pH 7.0 solution of ammonium phosphate was combined wim the magnesium phosphate powder, resulting in a cementing reaction leading to a cement whose setting time, stability and pH in phosphate buffered saline solution were all documented. The amorphous and partially amorphous powders were perceived to be significantly more reactive with the reacting solution, whereas the crystalline tri-magnesium phosphate powder produced mechanically stronger cements. Incubation of the cements in phosphate buffered saline produced substantial changes in phase and morphology validated by x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy analyses. These alterations negatively affected the stability of the amorphous and semi-amorphous cements, without significantly influencing the crystalline cements. The results of this study recommend crystalline tri-magnesium phosphate cements to be the best material to be explored as bone void fillers since they demonstrated the most clinically appropriate setting times, the highest mechanical strength, and a neutral pH in saline solution incubation.
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