Microstructure and Biocompatibility of Porous BCP(HA/beta-TCP) Biomaterials Consolidated by SPS Using Space Holder

HA (hydroxyapatite)/beta-TCP (tricalcium phosphate) biomaterial (BCP; biphasic calcium phosphate) is widely used as bone cement or scaffolds material due to its superior biocompatibility. Furthermore, NH4HCO3 as a space holder (SH) has been used to evaluate feasibility assessment of porous structured BCP as bone scaffolds. In this study, using a spark plasma sintering (SPS) process at 393K and 1373K under 20MPa load, porous HA/beta-TCP biomaterials were successfully fabricated using HA/beta-TCP powders with 10 similar to 30 wt% SH, TiH2 as a foaming agent, and MgO powder as a binder. The effect of SH content on the pore size and distribution of the BCP biomaterial was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and a microfocus X-ray computer tomography system (SMX-225CT). The microstructure observations revealed that the volume fraction of the pores increased with increasing SH content and that rough pores were successfully fabricated by adding SH. Accordingly, the cell viabilities of BCP biomaterials were improved with increasing SH content. And, good biological properties were shown after assessment using Hanks balanced salt solution (HBSS).