Effects of h-BN addition on microstructures and mechanical properties of β-CaSiO3 bioceramics

The main purpose of this study consists in investigating the effects of h-BN addition on the sinterability of β-CaSiO3 (β-CS) bioceramics. β-CS bioceramics with different contents of h-BN were prepared at the sintering temperature ranging from 800°C to 1100°C. The results showed that h-BN can be successfully used as sintering additive by being oxidized to form low melting point B2O3 related glassy phase and enhanced the flexural strength by the formation of rod-like β-CS grains. β-CS bioceramics with 1wt% h-BN sintered at 1000°C revealed flexural strength and fracture toughness of 182.2MPa and 2.4MPam(1/2) respectively, which were much higher than that of pure β-CS bioceramics (30.2MPa, 0.53MPam(1/2)) fabricated in the same processing condition.