Characterization of Sol-gel Derived Zn-doped Akermanite Bioceramic Powders

Akermanite (Ca2MgSi2O7), as a Ca , Mg and Si-containing bioceramic, has received more attention for biomedical applications due to its more controllable mechanical properties and degradation rate. Also, doped calcium silicate ceramics exhibit enhanced mechanical and biological properties and applied for the treatment of bone defects due to their unique compositions and ability to release bioactive ions. The aim of this study was to incorporate Zn into akermanite using sol-gel method and to investigate the effect of Zn content on the phase composition and microstructure. The characterization of synthesized Zn-doped akermanite was carried out by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) equipped with EDS techniques. The effect of calcination temperature on the formation mechanism of nano-akermanite powders was studied. The resulting XRD spectra revealed that a major phase with akermanite structure and minor phases with diopside and merwinite structures were obtained for the samples calcined at 1250oC. The synthesized Zn-doped akermanite powders were made up of particles with 0.5-2 μm diameter.

Keywords:

Akermanite , Zinc , Sol-gel , Nanopowder , Microstructure.