Effect of high-frequency induction heat sintering conditions on the microstructure and mechanical properties of nanostructured magnesium/hydroxyapatite nanocomposites

Recently, efforts have been undertaken to develop nanostructured materials with enhanced mechanical and microstructural properties for use in various fields of materials engineering. The purpose of the present study was to help clarify and optimize the overall processing parameters of the high-frequency induction heat sintering (HFIHS) process, such as sintering temperatures, times, pressures and heating rates, focusing on the sintering of nanostructured powders and the suitability of the HFIHS process for combining a high sintering density with inhibited grain growth. In this study, super-fast densification behavior and the attendant mechanical and microstructural features of magnesium/1 wt% hydroxyapatite (Mg/1 wt% HAp) bio-nanocomposites processed by HFIHS were investigated. The results indicate that a nano-grained, nearly fully dense Mg/HAp nanostructure with a small crystal size (<40 nm) could be obtained by optimizing the overall processing parameters. A relative density, microhardness and compressive strength for the nanocomposite of approximately 99.7%, 60 HV and 194.5 MPa, respectively, were obtained. Phase analysis using X-ray diffraction (XRD) shows no major variations between the product and starting materials.