title: High-solid-content hydroxyapatite slurry for the production of bone substitute scaffolds.
abstract: Key to various bone substitute scaffold production techniques is the development of free-flowing ceramic slurry with optimum theological properties. The aim is to achieve a colloidal suspension with as high a solid content as possible while maintaining a low viscosity which easily penetrates the pores of relevant sacrificial templates. The following investigation describes the optimization of a hydroxyapatite slip and demonstrates its potential application in scaffold production. Using predominantly spherical particles of hydroxyapatite of between 0.82 microm and 16.2 microm, coupled with a 2 wt % addition of the anionic polyelectrolyte, ammonium polyacrylate, an 80 wt % (55.9 vol%) hydroxyapatite solid loaded slip with a viscosity of approximately 126mPas has been developed. Its ability to infiltrate and replicate porous preforms has been shown using polyurethane foam. The enhanced particle packing achieved has allowed for the production of scaffolds with highly dense and uniform grain structures. The results represent a significant improvement in current slurry production techniques and can be utilized to develop high-density ceramic bone substitute scaffolds.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK. ecunningham07@qub.ac.uk
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cunningham
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dunne
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Buchanan
mesh_terms: D018786:Bone Substitutes / Q000737:chemistry*; D003102:Colloids / Q000737:chemistry; D019245:Compressive Strength; D017886:Durapatite / Q000737:chemistry*; D055119:Elastic Modulus; D008422:Materials Testing; D016062:Porosity; D013499:Surface Properties; D014783:Viscosity
chemical_list: D018786:Bone Substitutes; D003102:Colloids; D017886:Durapatite