ZHANG Yuanyuan ¹, LUO Minhua ¹, XIAO Zhuohao ¹, ZHU Qingxia ², LIU Sali ¹, CHEN Huiling ¹, GUO Rulian ¹

(1. Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute, Jingdezhen 333403, Jiangxi, China; 2.Tiangong University, Tianjin 300380, Tianjin, China)

Abstract: Bioceramic matrix powders were synthesized by using a sol-gel method, while water based slurries were prepared by adding lab-made flux, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), carboxyethyl cellulose and n-butanol. Polyurethane foams after hydrolysis and surface modification were impregnated in the slurries and the excess slurries were removed. The samples were then dried and sintered at high temperatures to obtain bioactive ceramics. The effects of PVA content, self-prepared flux content and sintering temperature on porosity and flexural strength of the samples were systematically studied. The pore samples were analyzed by using scanning electron microscope (SEM), their biological activity was examined by using simulated body fluid (SBF), and the phase changes before and after mineralization were characterized by using X-ray diffraction (XRD). It was found that porous bioactive ceramics with promising comprehensive properties can be obtained by adding 30 wt.% flux and 0.76 wt.% PVA, with a sintering temperature of 1000 °C. The porosity of the optimized sample is 81.35% and the flexural strength is 2.75 MPa.
Key words: porous bioceramic; organic foam impregnation method; porosity; biological activity; flexural strength