Affiliations: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210018, China | General Medicine Centre, Zhong Da Hospital, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China | School of Materials Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
Note: [] Corresponding author: C.L. Chu, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Southeast University, Si Pai Lou 2#, Nanjing 210018, China. Tel.: +86 25 83795187; E-mail: clchu@seu.edu.cn.
Abstract: Biocompatibility and bonding strength of hydroxyapatite–20vol%Ti composite fabricated by hot-pressing technique with bone tissues in the rabbit were investigated by in vivo studies in comparison with those of Ti metal and dense HA ceramic. Although fibrous tissues formed at the interface between the composite and bone tissues at 3 weeks in vivo, bonding strength of the composite increases faster than that of dense HA after 4 weeks. At 3 months in vivo, bonding strength of the composite is higher than that of dense HA and exceeds 6.5 MPa. Moreover, as compared with the visible bonding interfaces between dense HA and new bones, the bonding interfaces for the composite cannot already be distinguished and the composite was osseointegrated fully with bone tissues into one bony body. The shear fracture of bonding strength test for the composite occurred in new bone zones near the interface, which indicates that bonding strength of the composite could even exceed the shear strength of new bones after 3 months in vivo. In conclusion, HA–Ti composite has better osteoconduction and osseointegration abilities than Ti metal and dense HA ceramic after 3 months in vivo and is a promising biomaterial for hard tissue replacement.
