Investigation of mechanical properties of natural hydroxyapatite samples prepared by cold isostatic pressing method.

Hydroxyapatite (HA) has been broadly employed for bone treatment applications. In the present research, HA was extracted from hen, goat and cattle bone. Samples were prepared by cold isostatic pressing method (CIP) and sintered at 1100, 1200 and 1300 °C. In order to evaluate the characteristics of the produced HA, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), Fourier Transform spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microcopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analyses were carried out on it. Hardness and compression tests were examined before and after sintering. Also, the morphology of the samples at different sintering temperatures was studied by SEM imaging. The obtained experimental results ascertained that with increasing the sintering temperature up to 1300 °C, relative density and hardness of the samples increased. Finally, compressive strength of the sintered sample at 1200 °C was determined as maximum value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]