Porous hydroxyapatite ceramics of bi-modal pore size distribution

A route for the fabrication of porous hydroxyapatite ceramics having two populations of open pores is reported. The bodies are prepared by sintering the spherical gelatin/hydroxyapatite granules. As the result, ceramics containing intragranular small-size pores and intergranular large-size interconnecting pores are obtained. The pore size and content are dependent on the route. Ceramics can generally be applied as bone replacement materials where the interconnections in the intergranular pores are the pathway to conduct cells and vessels for the bone ingrowth, whereas the intragranular pores can be filled with a drug, e.g. to eliminate infections. (C) 2002 Academic Publishers.