Effect of microwave and conventional processing techniques on mechanical properties of Strontium substituted hydroxyapatite

The effect of different sintering routes: conventional and microwave sintering along with different sintering temperatures has been studied on Sr-doped hydroxyapatite bioceramics. The physical and mechanical properties of different samples synthesized at different sintering temperatures and sintering techniques have been evaluated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy and microhardness. X-ray diffraction studies showed that microwave sintering suppresses the formation of secondary phases. The density, grain size along with microhardness was higher for samples sintered by microwave processing as compared to samples sintered by conventional technique. The results from different characterization techniques show that microwave sintering technique is not only efficient in terms of energy-saving and time reduction but also improves the formation of phases and mechanical properties.