| For hard tissue prosthetics, it is necessary to seek novel synthesis routes by which a real structural bone can be simulated in terms of bioactivity, porosity, and mechanical behavior. The work presented here deals with the development of such a component by a novel synthesis route for bone implantation. To enhance the mechanical properties, an industrial alumina has been selected as the substrate. Alumina is not only bio inert but also mechanically strong which makes it an ideal substrate for bone substitute. The high porosity is achieved via a sponge technique by which both pore size and density can be changed easily. The bioactivity is induced by coating a highly bioactive HA film onto the inner pore surfaces of the reticulated alumina.; Based on this concept, the research has focused on the coating of HA onto inner pore surfaces of the reticulated alumina via several effective methods that are developed in our laboratory. No previous studies have so far been reported on coating inner surfaces of small-diameter pores ranging from 0.1–1.0 mm. The key materials processing issues dealt with in this work include precursor chemistry, coating procedures, synthesis of coated component, interface structure study, film adhesion strength testing, and mechanical properties of the component. This novel approach has shown great promise in synthesizing bone substitutes.; To determine the applicability of the coated component in hard tissue prosthetics, a bioactivity study has been carried out. By immersing the synthetic HA into simulated body fluid (SBF), the bioresponse has been measured for a variety of samples with different processing conditions. Fundamental aspects of this study are centered on the effects of structural characteristics of HA on the bioactivity. Based on extensive IR and XRD experimental data, it has been found that the bioactivity of HA is sensitively controlled by the structural crystallinity of the HA and its specific surface area.; Furthermore, based on the extensive experimental data obtained in this dissertation, detailed recommendations have been made for future research. It is recommended that the porous composite is to be further developed to possess a porosity gradient similar to the bone structure. |
