title: New processing approaches in calcium phosphate cements and their applications in regenerative medicine.
abstract: The key feature of calcium phosphate cements (CPCs) lies in the setting reaction triggered by mixing one or more solid calcium phosphate salts with an aqueous solution. Upon mixture, the reaction takes place through a dissolution-precipitation process which is macroscopically observed by a gradual hardening of the cement paste. The precipitation of hydroxyapatite nanocrystals at body or room temperature, and the fact that those materials can be used as self-setting pastes, have for many years been the most attractive features of CPCs. However, the need to develop materials able to sustain bone tissue ingrowth and be capable of delivering drugs and bioactive molecules, together with the continuous requirement from surgeons to develop more easily handling cements, has pushed the development of new processing routes that can accommodate all these requirements, taking advantage of the possibility of manipulating the self-setting CPC paste. It is the goal of this paper to provide a brief overview of the new processing developments in the area of CPCs and to identify the most significant achievements.
authors.affiliation: Biomaterials, Biomechanics and Tissue Engineering Group, Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, Technical University of Catalonia (UPC), Av. Diagonal 647, 08028 Barcelona, Spain. maria.pau.ginebra@upc.edu
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Ginebra
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Espanol
authors.forename: E B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Montufar
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Perez
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mestres
mesh_terms: D001843:Bone Cements / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D002130:Calcium Phosphates / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D008422:Materials Testing / Q000379:methods*; D044968:Regenerative Medicine / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds
chemical_list: D001843:Bone Cements; D002130:Calcium Phosphates; C020243:calcium phosphate