Abstract
The purpose of this study was to develop an α-tricalcium phosphate (α-TCP) cement which transforms to hydroxyapatite (HAP) in a relatively short period. We used calcium and phosphate solutions as the liquid phase for the α-TCP cement. The α-TCP powder was first mixed with CaCl2 solution, and then mixed with NaH2PO4 or Na2HPO4 solution for a total powder/liquid ratio of 1.8. The setting time became shorter with the increase in the concentration of calcium and phosphate solutions, reaching 5min, whereas the setting time was longer than 30min when distilled water was used as the liquid phase. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the cement was mostly transformed to HAP within 24h when kept in an incubator. We concluded that α-TCP should be mixed with calcium and phosphate solutions since this results in a moderate setting time and fast transformation to HAP even if the method of mixing becomes a little complex.
