Effect of MgF2 addition on sinterability and mechanical properties of fluorapatite ceramic composites fabricated by wollastonite and phosphate glass.

In this paper, we successfully report the design and synthesis of fluorapatite ceramic composites using phosphate glass and wollastonite as raw materials via a simple sintering method. The effects of MgF 2 additives in phase composition, microstructure, densification, and mechanical properties are investigated at various temperatures from 600 °C to 900 °C, and characterized by SEM/EDS, XRD, FTIR, linear shrinkage and water absorption, flexural strength analysis. It shows that the densification and mechanical behavior of composites increase with both the sintering temperature and MgF 2 content. Especially, the sample SCPF-7 exhibits the highest densification and optimal mechanical properties at 900 °C. At these conditions, the water absorption of fluorapatite ceramic composite is less than 0.20%, and the flexural strength is over 70 MPa. For the microstructure analysis, the formation of fluorapatite with a rod-like microstructure is enhanced with the increase of MgF 2 content. The amelioration of these properties is due to the formation of a new phase which helps to the formation of compact microstructure. The findings in this work provide a feasible strategy for the preparation of fluorapatite ceramic composites from available phosphate glass and wollastonite at a lower temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]