Crystal-oriented hydroxyapatite ceramic sheets tailored in a novel tape casting process of powder mixture system

Abstract

Hydroxyapatite ceramics with oriented crystal structures are successfully fabricated via a novel and facile tape casting process of powder mixture system for the first time, during where a mixture of hydroxyapatite with altered particle size and morphology was utilized with a commercial acrylic polymer as binder. Followed by the lamination and sintering process, crystally oriented ceramic sheets of hydroxyapatite with micrometer thickness oriented along different axis were observed. The influence of powder composition and sintering temperature on the orientation degree and crystal structure change of the outermost surface of fabricated hydroxyapatite ceramic sheets was also elucidated in detail.