Preparation of porous hydroxyapatite ceramics containing mullite by reaction sintering of clay, alumina and hydroxyapatite

Porous hydroxyapatite ceramics containing mullite have been obtained from reaction sintering at 1150° to 1350 °C of clay and alumina in the presence of pure hydroxyapatite. XRD results showed that hydroxyapatite decomposes to TCP by adding mullite. Hydroxyapatite, β-TCP and mullite were detected in samples containing 10 wt.% and more mullite, sintered at 1150° and 1250 °C for 2 h. Porosity amount increased by adding mullite and decreased by increasing sintering temperature. The highest porosity content was in samples containing 30 wt.% mullite at all sintering temperatures.