Effects of annealing in air on microstructure and hardness of hydroxyapatite ceramics

In this study, microstructural variation of hydroxyapatite (HAp) ceramics upon thermal treatment in air at different temperatures was investigated by x-ray diffraction patterns, Raman and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopies. The results revealed a significant dependence of the microstructure of nonstoichiometric HAp on temperature, because of the competition between hydroxylation and different kinds of dehydroxylation at different temperatures, and a gradual increase in material hardness with annealing temperature because of structural reconstruction. In summary, a suitable thermal treatment can effectively tailor microstructure and defect contents, as well as chemical composition and mechanical hardness of HAp ceramics.

Automated summary

The study found that the microstructure of HAp ceramics is significantly influenced by different temperatures, and suitable thermal treatment can effectively adjust their properties, including microstructure, chemical composition, and mechanical hardness.