Low temperature fabrication and characterizations of β-CaSiO3 ceramics

Dense β-CaSiO3 (low temperature phase) ceramics were fabricated by spark plasma sintering (SPS) in the temperature range of 700–950 °C using chemically precipitated amorphous powder. The maximum density of the obtained β-CaSiO3 ceramics reached about 2.60 g/cm3 with grain size of 100–200 nm. The maximum bending strength was 190 MPa. The Young's modulus and fracture toughness reached 62.8 GPa and 1.67 MPa m1/2, respectively. The simulated body fluid (SBF) tests showed that HAp grains covered the surface of β-CaSiO3 ceramics completely after 3 days immersion. The thickness of HAp layer was about 15 μm for the 3 days specimen and it reached 25 μm for the 7 days immersion. SPS-sintered β-CaSiO3 ceramics obtained by SPS had both good mechanical properties and excellent bioactivity.