Two-Stage Sintering of Nb2O5 Doped Zirconia Toughened Alumina (ZTA) Composites

Abstract

It is estimated that 130 million people will suffer from osteoarthritis by 2050 which require patient to undergo a surgical procedure known as total hip replacement which has lifespan of 20 years and failure rates of ~1%. This research would highlight the effects of doping Niobium Oxide (Nb2O5) between 0 vol % to 0.8 vol % into Zirconia-Toughened Alumina (ZTA) composites which is the main biomaterials used to manufacture total hip arthroplasty. The samples were sintered using two-stage sintering (TSS) between 1400°C and 1550°C for first-stage sintering temperature at heating rate of 20°C/min. At second stage, the samples were sintered at 1350°C and hold for 12 hours. It was found that TSS combined with addition of Nb2O5 as dopants were beneficial in producing fine-grained ZTA composites with improved mechanical properties compared to undoped ZTA composites produced via TSS. Compared to undoped ZTA composites, samples doped with Nb2O5 and sintered at T1 ≥1400°C were fully densed (>98%), achieved Vickers hardness more than 20 GPa and Young’s modulus higher than 410 GPa and at the same time fracture toughness of more than 8 MPam1/2. Based on the findings, production of ZTA composites with enhanced mechanical properties with longer lifespan is possible which is beneficial in ensuring the well-being of osteoarthritis patients.