Mechanical parameters of strontium doped hydroxyapatite sintered using microwave and conventional methods

The effects of ion substitution in hydroxyapatite (HA) on crystal structure and lattice stability is investigated in the green state and post sintering. The effects of ion incorporation on the biaxial flexural strength and hardness are also investigated. Sintering is carried out at 1200 °C using comparative conventional and microwave regimes. Post sintering, the effects of ion incorporation manifest as an increase in the lattice d-spacings and a reduction of the crystallite size. Some HA decomposition occurs with β-TCP stabilisation in conventional sintering (CS), but this phase is destabilised during microwave sintering (MS), generating α-TCP. Conventional sintering (CS) allows higher densification in the undoped samples. Overall, for the Sr-doped compositions, the MS samples retain higher amounts of HA and experience higher density levels compared to the CS samples.