The aim of this study was to characterize calcium phosphate ceramics with different Ca/P ratios and evaluate cell response of these materials for use as a bone substitute. Bioceramics consisting of mixtures of hydroxyapatite (HAp) and β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) powders in different proportions were pressed and sintered. The physical and chemical properties of these bioceramics were then characterized. Characterization of the biological properties of these materials was based on analysis of cell response using cultured fibroblasts. The number of cells attached to the samples was counted from SEM images of samples exposed to cell culture solution for different periods. These data were compared by analysis of variance (ANOVA) complemented by the Tukey's test. The TCP sample had higher surface roughness and lower density. The adherence and growth of FMM1 cells on samples from all groups was studied. Even though the different calcium based ceramics exhibited properties which made them suitable as bone substitutes, those with higher levels of β-TCP revealed improved cell growth on their surfaces. These observations indicated two-phase calcium phosphate based materials with a β-TCP surface layer to be a promising bone substitute.

Silicon nitride based ceramics have been widely used as structural ceramics, due mainly to their thermo-mechanical properties such as high density, high thermal shock resistance, corrosion resistance and chemical stability. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of rare earth and aluminum oxide additions as sintering aids on densification, microstructure and mechanical properties of silicon nitride. Silicon nitride mixtures with 91 wt. (%) Si3N4 and 9% wt. (%) additives were prepared and sintered. The density, microstructure and mechanical properties of the sintered specimens of these mixtures were determined. In most specimens, scanning electron microscopic examination and X ray diffraction analysis revealed elongated grains of β-Si3N4 with aspect ratio of about 2.0 and dispersed in a glassy phase. The density of the sintered specimens was higher than 94% of the theoretical density (td) and specimens with La2O3 and Al2O3 additions exhibited the highest value. The results of this investigation indicate that the rare earth ion size influences densification of silicon nitride, but this correlation was not observed in specimens containing two different rare earth oxides. The hardness values varied in direct proportion to the density of the specimens and the fracture toughness values were influenced by the composition of the intergranular glassy phase.

Silicon nitride based ceramics are promising candidates for biomedical applications due to their chemical and dimensional stability associated to suitable mechanical strength and relatively high fracture toughness. However, the bioinert characteristics of these ceramics limit their application to situations where the formation of chemical bonds between the material and the tissue are not essential. A way to broaden the application field of these ceramics in medicine is promoting their bioactivity by means of a hydroxyapatite coating. Therefore, in this paper, samples of silicon nitride were coated with apatite using the biomimetic method. The treated silicon nitride surface was characterized by diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transformed, X ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that a layer of hydroxyapatite could be deposited by this method on silicon nitride samples surface.

Silicon carbide is an important structural ceramic and finds applications as abrasives, as a refractory and in automotive engine components. This material can attain high densities during liquid phase sintering if suitable additives are used. Silicon carbides containing silica, alumina and rare earth oxides have suitable characteristics to promote liquid phase sintering. In this paper, the sintering behavior of silicon carbide ceramics with additives based on the (SiO2-RE2O3-Al2O3) system (RE = Y, Dy) has been studied. Samples with different compositions and containing 90 vol.% SiC were sintered in a dilatometer at 1950 °C/1h and in a graphite resistance furnace from 1500 °C/1h up to 1950 °C/1h. The shrinkage behavior as a function of rare earth oxide used and additive composition was also studied. The sintered materials were characterized by density and weight loss measurements. The crystalline phases were identified by X-ray diffraction analysis. The sintering kinetics of these materials can be related to the formation of secondary crystalline phases.