Fabrication and Characterization of Porous Diopside/Akermanite Ceramics with Prospective Tissue Engineering Applications

Tissue engineering requires new materials that can be used to replace damaged bone parts. Since hydroxyapatite, currently widely used, has low mechanical resistance, silicate ceramics can represent an alternative. The aim of this study was to obtain porous ceramics based on diopside (CaMgSi2O6) and akermanite (Ca2MgSi2O7) obtained at low sintering temperatures. The powder synthesized by the sol-gel method was pressed in the presence of a porogenic agent represented by commercial sucrose in order to create the desired porosity. The ceramic bodies obtained after sintering thermal treatment at 1050 degrees C and 1250 degrees C, respectively, were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to determine the chemical composition. The open porosity was situated between 32.5 and 34.6%, and the compressive strength had a maximum value of 11.4 MPa for the samples sintered at 1250 degrees C in the presence of a 20% wt porogenic agent. A cell viability above 70% and the rapid development of an apatitic phase layer make these materials good candidates for use in hard tissue engineering.

Automated summary

This study aimed to obtain porous ceramics based on diopside and akermanite at low sintering temperatures. The ceramic bodies were characterized and analyzed using various methods. The results showed that the ceramic materials had open porosity ranging from 32.5% to 34.6%, with a maximum compressive strength of 11.4 MPa. The cell viability was above 70% and an apatitic phase layer could rapidly develop, making these materials good candidates for use in hard tissue engineering.