Surface Structure Design and Characterization of Bioabsorbable and Functionally Graded Apatites Originated from Bovine Bone

Abstract. Bioabsorbable and functionally graded apatites (fg-HAp) ceramics were designed using calcined bovine bone (b-HAp) by the partial dissolution-precipitation methods. The fg-HAp ceramics with micro-pores of 10-160 nm had larger specific surface areas (30-40 m2･g-1) than the b-HAp ceramics, although the two HAp ceramics exhibited same macro-pore sizes of 100-600 µm and porosities of 60-80 %. Surface structure of these ceramics was modified by soaking at 309.5 K for 1-90 days in a simulated body fluid (SBF). At 8 days after the soaking, microstructure of the fg-HAp changed from small grains to dense cocoon-like ones by rapid precipitation of HAp microcrystals, while at 14 days, that of the b-HAp was porous urchin-like grains, suggesting that the fg-HAp had higher bone-bonding ability than the b-HAp.