Self-setting properties and in vitro bioactivity of Ca2SiO4/CaSO4.1/2H2O composite bone cement

In this study, a biphasic injectable bone substitute based on beta-dicalcium silicate (Ca(2)SiO(4)) and plaster of Paris (CaSO(4).1/2H(2)O) is presented, and its behavior as cement was studied and compared to that of pure Ca(2)SiO(4) paste. The results demonstrated that the setting time of the workable Ca(2)SiO(4)/CaSO(4).1/2H(2)O pastes was only 15 min, which was significantly reduced as compared to that of the Ca(2)SiO(4) paste (100 min), and the composite showed higher short- and long-term mechanical strength (3.25 and 37.2 MPa, respectively) than those of the Ca(2)SiO(4) paste (0.2 and 24.6 MPa). Similar to the pure Ca(2)SiO(4) paste, the composite paste could induce apatite formation in simulated body fluid within a short period and degrade in Ringer's solution. Moreover, the degradation rate could be adjusted by modifying the content of the plaster within the composite cement. These results suggested that the addition of the plaster significantly improved the self-setting properties of the Ca(2)SiO(4) paste, and the bioactive composite cement could be a prospective candidate for further investigation as self-setting tissue-repairing substitute.