High-strength apatitic cement by modification with superplasticizers

This study reports on a novel method to improve the strength of apatitic bone cements. The liquid phase of Biocement-H-(C) was modified with commercial superplasticizers. The results showed that small additions, i.e. 0.5 vol%, in the aqueous liquid phase improved the maximum compressive strength of Biocement-H-(C) (35 MPa) by 71 %, i.e. 60 MPa. Moreover, the addition of high amounts of superplasticizers, i.e. 50 vol.%, allowed for a significant reduction of the liquid-to-powder ratio from 0.32 to 0.256 mL/g, without affecting the maximum strength and/or the workability of the cement. These results open up new ways to develop injectable and high-strength apatitic bone cements for load-bearing applications. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.