In situ growth of hydroxyapatite on lamellar alumina scaffolds with aligned pore channels

Abstract We prepared hydroxyapatite/alumina (HA/Al 2 O 3 ) porous composite materials by the in situ growth of HA on lamellar Al 2 O 3 ceramics. The procedure comprises two steps. First, lamellar Al 2 O 3 ceramics with aligned pore channels were obtained by freeze casting Al 2 O 3 slurry. Second, as-prepared monoliths were used as scaffolds and subjected to hydrothermal treatment in the HA precursor solution. We characterized the microstructure, chemical composition, and mechanical properties of synthesized HA/Al 2 O 3 . Experiment results show that the addition of H 2 O 2 into the reaction solution plays an important role in controlling the microstructure of the cultivated HA. The formation of HA has no obvious influence on the lamellar architecture of Al 2 O 3 ceramics. The prepared composite materials exhibit superior compressive strength. Combination of the high strength of lamellar Al 2 O 3 with the excellent biological properties of HA increases the potential of obtained HA/Al 2 O 3 for load-bearing biological applications.