Effect of thermal and densification processes on reaction and conventional sinterings of a hydrolyzed calcium phosphate phase

Abstract Thermal processes resulting in the densification of compacts of an uncalcined powder (UPC) and of the powder calcined at 700 °C for 1 h (CPC), obtained from a hydrolyzed powder with a primary molar ratio of Ca/P = 1:1 obtained by the nitrate synthesis were studied during heating under reaction and conventional sintering modes up to 1100 °C. Due to desorption, decomposition, crystallization and phase transformation processes, the density of the UPC increased stepwise and finally reached 95% of the theoretical density of the formed biphasic HA/β-TCP product with a 52/48 ratio compared to 67% and a 0.55/0.45 ratio in the CPC. Because the annealing time at 1100 °C was negligible (about 1 min), a proper completing sintering to produce high quality ceramics from such UPC phases seems very promising.