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- Elbadawi, Mohammed, 1987-, et al.
(author)
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Guar Gum: A Novel Binder for Ceramic Extrusion
- 2017
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In: Ceramics International. - : Elsevier. - 0272-8842 .- 1873-3956. ; 43:18, s. 16727-16735
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Ceramic honeycomb extrusion is a technique capable of attaining high strength, porous ceramics. However, challenges prevent the realisation of its potential. These include the design of an intricate honeycomb die and the formulation of an extrudable paste. The present study addresses the latter by using guar gum (GG) as a binder. GG was rationally selected because hydrogels thereof exhibit strong shear-thinning and high stiffness properties, which are required for extrusion. Rheological analyses demonstrated ceramic pastes with similar qualities were achieved, with hydroxyapatite (HA) used as the model ceramic. The shear stiffness modulus of HA pastes was determined as 8.4 MPa with a yield stress of 1.1 kPa. Moreover, this was achieved with GG as the sole additive, which further facilitates the overall fabrication process. The binder extraction notably occurred at relatively low temperatures when other high molecular weight polymers demand temperatures above 1000 °C; therefore the latter precludes the use of ceramics with low sintering onset. The process culminated in a porous HA scaffold with similar porosity to that of a commercial HA graft, but with higher compressive strength. Lastly, the study notes that the biological and water-soluble properties of GG can broaden its application into other ceramic fabrication processes.
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| 2. |
- Elbadawi, Mohammed, 1987-, et al.
(author)
-
Porous hydroxyapatite scaffolds fabricated from nano-sized powder via honeycomb extrusion
- 2017
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In: Advanced Materials Letters. - : International Association of Advanced Materials. - 0976-3961 .- 0976-397X. ; 8:4, s. 377-385
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this study, we have developed hydroxyapatite (HA) scaffolds for synthetic bone graft from nano-sized HA particles using ceramic extrusion. We also demonstrate that these HA scaffolds show enhanced compressive strength (29.4 MPa), whilst possessing large pore sizes (> 600 µm) that are suitable for bone grafting. The extrusion process involved forming a ceramic paste by mixing the HA powder with a binder and distilled water. The ceramic paste was then fabricated using a ram extruder that was fitted with a honeycomb die to impart large, structured pores. Several green bodies were extruded and then subjected to the same drying and thermal debinding treatment. The samples underwent three different sintering temperatures and two varied dwell times, in order to determine the optimum sintering parameters. The scaffolds were then analysed for their chemical, physical, mechanical and biological properties to elucidate the effects of the sintering parameters on extruded HA scaffolds. The results revealed that the nano-sized particles exhibited a high sinterability, and XRD analysis showed phase purity until 1300 oC. At 1300 oC, trace amounts of phase impurities were detected, however, scaffolds sintered at this temperature exhibited the highest mean compressive strength. The findings demonstrated that traces of phase impurities were not detrimental to the scaffold’s compressive strength. In addition, scanning electron microscopy and density measurements revealed a highly densified solid phase was attained.
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