Mg2+, Sr2+, Ag+, and Cu2+ co-doped beta-tricalcium phosphate: Improved thermal stability and mechanical and biological properties
Abstract
β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP, β-Ca3(PO4)2) is an attractive biomaterial for bone repair applications. However, its sintering and mechanical properties are limited by a problematic phase transition to α-TCP. Cationic doping of β-TCP is able to postpone the formation of α-TCP allowing higher sintering temperatures and better mechanical properties. The co-doping of β-TCP with Mg2+ and Sr2+ has already been studied in detail, but the addition of antibacterial cations (Ag+ and Cu2+) on the Mg–Sr β-TCP co-doped composition remains unexplored. Thus, two co-doped β-TCP compositions were realized by aqueous precipitation technique without any secondary phase and compared with undoped β-TCP: Mg–Sr (2.0–2.0 mol%) and Mg–Sr–Ag–Cu (2.0–2.0–0.1–0.1 mol%). Differential thermal analysis and dilatometry analyses showed a slight decrease of the β-TCP → α-TCP phase transition temperature for the Mg–Sr–Ag–Cu (2.0–2.0–0.1–0.1% mol) composition as compared to the Mg–Sr (2.0–2.0 mol%). However, both exhibited much higher transition temperatures than undoped β-TCP. The addition of Ag+ and Cu2+ slightly reduces the grain size after sintering compared to the Mg–Sr (2.0–2.0 mol%) and the undoped compositions. The co-doped compositions also exhibited improved mechanical properties, specifically a higher Vickers hardness and elastic modulus. Finally, cell proliferation assays showed that the presence of dopants, even Ag+ and Cu2+, does not affect the survival and proliferation of cells. Thus, the use of Mg2+, Sr2+, Ag+, and Cu2+ co-doped β-TCP could be very promising for biomedical applications due to the improvements of these dopants on the thermal stability and mechanical and biological properties.
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