The effect of Sr and Mg substitutions on structure, mechanical properties and solubility of fluorapatite ceramics for biomedical applications

Abstract

Ionic substitutions play important role in the modifications of biological apatites. Recently, the attention has been focused on the co-doping effects on functional properties of apatite based biomaterials. In this research work, the dense samples of fluorapatites, Ca10(PO4)6F2 and Ca8MgSr(PO4)6F2, were produced after sintering at 1250?C for 6 h in air. Structural characterization, carried out with XRD, IR, Raman and SEM, confirmed the formation of dense and homogeneous structure with main fluorapatite and small amount of Ca3(PO4)2 phase. The presented results also demonstrate the stability of structural and mechanical properties of fluorapatites after immersion tests in saline and buffer solutions. The durability of mechanical properties and biocompatibility of the Ca10(PO4)6F2 and Ca8MgSr(PO4)6F2 fluorapatites make these materials highly attractive for biomedical application.