ABSTRACT
With the same chemical and crystallographic structure as the major inorganic constituents of human bone, teeth, and hard tissues, hydroxyapatite (Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2; HA) is a widely used calcium phosphate bioceramic, which is considered an excellent bone substitute [1,2] in dentistry and orthopedics because of its favorable bioactive properties and excellent osteoconductivity [3-5]. Like other calcium phosphate biomaterials, HA is an osteoconductive biomaterial that allows the formation of bone on its surface by serving as a scaffold or a template. The advantages for the use of HA include (1) faster stabilization, rapid ‹xation, and stronger chemical bonding between the host bone and the implant
CONTENTS
Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 237 Characteristics of HA Coatings ................................................................................................. 240
Phase Stability of the Crystalline HA Powders.................................................................. 240 Plasma-Sprayed HACs .......................................................................................................... 243 Crystallization of Plasma-Sprayed HACs during Heat Treatments ............................... 248
Hydrothermal Synthesis and Crystallization .........................................................................253 Hydrothermal Technology for the HA: Principles and Applications .............................255 Hydrothermal Crystallization with Self-Healing Effect of Plasma-Sprayed HACs ..... 257 Kinetics of Hydrothermal Crystallization under a Saturated Steam Pressure ..............264
Crystallization Effect on Mechanical Properties of Plasma-Sprayed HACs ...................... 268 Effect of Hydrothermal Crystallization on the Bonding Strength of HACs .................. 269 Erosive Wear Behaviors ......................................................................................................... 274
Statistical Evaluation and Reliability Engineering for Biomaterials.................................... 276 Statistical Signi‹cance of Data Distribution .......................................................................277 The Weibull Distribution Function ...................................................................................... 279 Weibull Model for the Analysis of Failure Behaviors ....................................................... 282
Summary ......................................................................................................................................285 References ..................................................................................................................................... 286
[4,6,7], and (2) increased uniform bone ingrowth and ongrow the bone-implant interface. Therefore, HA has been generally acknowledged as an excellent bone substitute [1,2] because of its ability to reduce the healing time after reconstructive surgery and extend the functional life of the prosthesis.
