J. Mater. Sci. Technol. ›› 2016, Vol. 32 ›› Issue (8): 729-732.DOI: 10.1016/j.jmst.2016.07.002

• Orginal Article • Previous Articles     Next Articles

A Green Biocompatible Fabrication of Highly Porous Functional Ceramics with High Strength and Controllable Pore Structures

Xu Changlu1,Liu Haoran1,Yang Huilin1,2,Yang Lei1,2,*()   

  1. 1 Orthopaedic Institute and Department of Orthopaedics, The First Affiliated Hospital, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China
    2 International Research Center for Translational Orthopaedics (IRCTO), Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China
  • Received:2016-04-26 Accepted:2016-06-23 Online:2016-08-10 Published:2016-10-10
  • Contact: Yang Lei

Abstract:

A green biocompatible foaming method utilizing natural coconut oil and cornstarch was developed to fabricate highly porous functional ceramics with controllable strengths and pore structures. The porosity of Al2O3 ceramics prepared via this method reached 79.6%-86.9% while these ceramics maintained high compressive strengths of 2.2-5.5?MPa. More importantly, porous Al2O3 ceramic with a pore size gradient was also readily fabricated by casting serial layers of foams that were set for different time periods. The potential applications of porous Al2O3 and HA ceramics fabricated by this green foaming method including scaffolds for oil cleaning and cell culture, respectively, were also demonstrated.

Key words: Porous ceramic, Pore structure, Bioceramics, Hydroxyapatite, Alumina