Synthesis and characterization of sintered beta-tricalcium phosphate: A comparative study on the effect of preparation route.

Beta-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) was prepared by three different routes namely, wet chemical coprecipitation, sol-gel and solution combustion synthesis. The synthesized powders were calcined at different temperatures and characterized for phase evolution study, thermal analysis, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, microstructural study for comparative analysis. The optimal thermal treatment required to prepare pure β-TCP powders was determined and after calcination of the synthesize powders prepared by different routes, pure β-TCP was obtained. The sintering temperature required to prepare fully dense β-TCP completely free from α-form was identified. The powders were then used to make dense and compact bodies sintered at 1200 and 1250°C. The sintering behaviour of the dense bodies was analysed using dilatometry, densification and microstructural study. It was found that the pellet prepared from powder synthesized via co-precipitation route attained maximum density compared to the pellets prepared from powders synthesized via sol-gel and solution combustion route.