Effects of silica sol on the microstructure and mechanical properties of CaSiO3 bioceramics

•CaSiO3 ceramics with silica sol addition were prepared by pressureless-sintering.•Silica sol had great effect on the mechanical properties of CaSiO3 ceramics.•CaSiO3 ceramics with 5 wt% silica revealed a flexural strength of 186.2 MPa.•Silica sol can be used as sintering additive by liquid sintering.

CaSiO3 ceramics were fabricated with silica sol addition by pressureless sintering. The effects of silica sol on phase composition, microstructure and mechanical properties of CaSiO3 ceramics were investigated. The silica sol additive was found to be effective in speeding up pore elimination, improving the grain growth, decreasing the sintering temperature and shortening the sintering time. When the amount of SiO2 was 5 wt%, a flexural strength of 186.2 MPa was achieved with an open porosity of 3.9%. The main crystal phase was β-CaSiO3 below sintering temperature of 1150 °C.

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