Button of Hydroxyapatite Composite for Craniotomy Flap Fixation: Fabrication and Mechanical Properties
This paper deals with the development of button made from a hydroxyapatite (HA) and bioglass composite. The HA powder derived from the bovine bone were added 2.5 and 5 wt% of P2O5-CaO-Na2O-bases glass and subsequently sintered at 1200 - 1350 °C to form the HA ceramics. It was observed that the densest HA ceramic could be achieved for the sample composed of hydroxyapatite with the addition of 5 wt% of bioglass and sintered at 1300°C, resulting in the maximum value of bending strength of about 77 MPa, which ensured the use in load bearing applications of this HA ceramic. The HA and 5 wt% bioglass composite is designed as a button for reattach the bone flap after a craniotomy procedure. Each device is comprised of an inner plate and an outer plate. The fabrication processing was used the powder compression and then sintering at 1300°C for 3 h. The button have fracture toughness (K1C) values of 1.3±0.1 MPa.m1/2 and bending strength of 65.7±3.8 MPa. The liquid phase sintering of this sample contributed to the high mechanical properties that can be use as craniotomy flap fixation.