SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF A HYDROXYAPATITE ZINC-OXIDE POLYACRYLIC-ACID CONCRETE

The preparation of a hydroxyapatite-zinc oxide-polyacrylic acid (HA-ZnO-PAA) composite is described. The starting HA particles were obtained from the mineral phase of natural bone, therefore presenting high porosity and specific surface area. The microstructures of three compositions of this material with different ZnO: HA ratios were studied using optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the strengths by tensile tests. Samples of pure ZnO-PAA cement and mixtures of HA-PAA were also studied as reference materials. The results obtained show that the use of large HA particles (several mum) and the porosity present, modify the microstructure of the composites, opening the possibility of producing bone-like materials by this technology. The mechanical testing shows that the strength did not decrease with the addition of up to 67 wt% solid content of HA.