Ceramics-Silikáty 50 (3) 159-162 (2006)

INFLUENCE OF P₂O₅ UPON THE CRYSTALLIZATION OF LITHIUM DISILICATE AND FLORAPATITE IN BIO-GLASS CERAMICS

E. Kuzielová, J. Hrubá, M. Palou, E. Smrčková

Referred work is a preliminary investigation of the lithium disilicate (LS₂) and the fluoroapatite (FA) crystallization in bio-glass ceramics. Composite glass-ceramics with various content of P₂O₅ in oxide system SiO₂–Li₂O–CaO–CaF₂–P₂O₅ were prepared by heat treatment of glass at different temperatures. Two crystalline phases lithium disilicate (LS₂) and fluorapatite (FA) were developed in the samples depending on P₂O₅ content and temperature. The increase of temperature as well as the content of P₂O₅ promote the crystallization of FA. XRD measurements supplemented by DTA results showed that LS₂ crystallization at lower temperature is inhibited because of the present of amorphous FA. On the contrary, crystalline phase of FA promoted the crystallization of LS₂. Phase separation of the samples is well observed in scanning electronic micrograph. The Vickers hardness values of prepared bio-glass ceramics are higher than the average hardness of biological tooth and these materials could be applied as mechanically loaded biomedical implants.

Keywords: Fluoroapatite, Lithium disilicate, Bio-glass ceramics