Comparison of microstructures and phase compositions of artificial and bone-derived hydroxyapatites by transmission...

Biological problems associated with sintered implants fabricated from artificially synthesized hydroxyapatite include selective dissolution at grain boundaries, microstructural disintegration in the body due to particle loosening, and slow crack growth at the implant surface. In addition, mechanical degradation has been shown to be significant, thus limiting their application as load-bearing medical implants. In contrast, bone-derived hydroxyapatite bioceramics have highly dissolution-resistant properties and excellent biocompatibility in the body. They are also easy to synthesize by thermal decomposition of animal bone. In this study, microstructural observations and crystal phase analysis of bone-derived hydroxyapatite were investigated by TEM and EDS using sintered hydroxyapatite samples. In addition, a comparative investigation into elemental distributions and the microstructures of artificial hydroxyapatite, bovine, and tuna bone-derived hydroxyapatites was performed. Bone-derived HA consists mainly of HA and a small amount of MgO. Hot-pressed HA compacts showed homogeneous microstructures and densities of 95-97%, however, grain sizes and microstructures varied with the starting powders.