Hydroxyapatite Reinforced With Zinc Oxide And Its Applications - A Review

Hydroxyapatite is considered as one of the well-known ceramic which is used in many applications including clinical bone graft procedures for more than 25 years. In spite of its various applications it is unsuitable for major load bearing applications. Pure hydroxyapatite has poor mechanical properties such as low bending strength, tensile strength and fracture toughness. Thus the clinical applications have been limited particularly in load bearing applications, large sized defects or under complex state of stress such as hip replacement and knee joint. One of the most common approaches to overcome this weakness is to reinforce the HA with other stronger ceramic such as Zinc oxide to improve its mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. Zinc oxide on reinforcement increases the strength, biocompatibility and corrosion resistance of the coating. To deposit HA coatings various techniques are used but most commonly used techniques are thermal spray techniques. In this study methods to improve the properties and various applications are discussed.

Keywords: Hydroxyapatite, ZnO, Reinforcement, Biocompatibility, Corrosion Resistance.