Addition of a small amount of glass to improve the degradation behavior of calcium sulfate bioceramic

Calcium sulfate is a degradable bioceramic; its pellets have been used as bone void fillers for more than 100 years. However, the use of calcium sulfate bioceramic as a bone graft substitute is limited by its low strength and rapid degradation rate. In the present study, a small amount of glass (1 wt%) is incorporated into calcium sulfate powder. Dense glass-doped calcium sulfate pellets are prepared by sintering at 900 °C for 1 h. Though the amount of glass is low, the compressive strength of the pellets is enhanced by 40%; the degradation rate is reduced by nearly an order of magnitude.