Publication: Converting porous β-tcp scaffold containing dicalcium phosphate dihydrate into low crystallinity porous β-tcp scaffold via combination of dry heating and hydrothermal methods
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Date
2024-08-01
Authors
Lim Beng Lit
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Abstract
The study aims to elucidate the feasibility of fabricating low crystallinity porous β-TCP scaffold made from porous β-TCP scaffold containing DCPD using a combination of dry heating and hydrothermal methods. To understand this phenomena, two objectives were established in this study. The first objective is to investigate the effect of setting duration on the properties of porous β-TCP scaffolds containing DCPD using three different setting durations. Several characterisation techniques, including X-Ray Diffraction Spectroscopy (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to identify the phases present in the scaffolds. The β-TCP scaffolds containing DCPD is successfully set at 14 hours and 20 hours setting duration. Additionally, porosity analysis and compression testing were conducted to understand the mechanical properties of the fabricated scaffolds. The XRD results have validated the presence of DCPD in β-TCP scaffold increases as the setting duration is prolonged. While maintaining the β-TCP phase, the SEM also revealed the interlocking mechanism of DCPD between the β-TCP granules. The second objective is to investigate the effect of CaCl2 concentration on the conversion of porous β-TCP scaffolds containing DCPD into low-crystallinity porous β-TCP scaffolds under hydrothermal conditions at 200°C. The SEM results show that the needle-like crystal has been precipitated showing the DCPD phases have partially converted into DCPA. The results demonstrate that by employing a combination of dry heating and hydrothermal methods, the porous β-TCP scaffolds containing DCPD set by using 14 hours setting duration and hydrothermal treated in 0.5 mol/L CaCl2 has the most conversion to low-crystallinity porous β-TCP scaffolds.