Biocompatibility of dense hydroxyapatite prepared using an SPS process

In the present study, the preparation of dense hydroxyapatite (HAp) materials at relative low temperatures using a spark plasma sintering was carried out. The bioactivity of HAp samples prepared by a spark plasma sintering method was investigated by in vitro tests and compared with HAp obtained by a conventional hot-pressing method. No growth of bone-like HAp crystals on surface of HAp sintered by a conventional hot-pressing method at 1200°C was observed after immersion in a simulated body fluid (SBF) for 2 days. However, many large bone-like HAp crystals were observed on the surface of HAp samples prepared by a spark plasma sintering at 1200°C after 2 days in the SBF immersion test. Especially, the negatively charged surface of the HAp samples prepared by spark plasma sintering was covered with larger HAp crystals compared with the positively charged surface. The electric poling of HAp was measured using a thermally simulated current technique. This rapid growth of bone-like HAp crystals of the HAp samples made by spark plasma sintering was believed to be related with the OH⁻ and/or Ca ion deficiency at the grain boundaries of the HAp matrix grains as well as a small electric poling effect resulting during the spark plasma sintering process. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res 62: 550–557, 2002