Multilayer beta-TCP scaffold was prepared by using three-dimensional gel-lamination technology with several kinds of slurries. Using 30% slurry as materials and sintered at 1150 degrees C for 2 hours, beta-TCP scaffold with oriented structure was achieved which has the compression strength of (8.2 +/- 0.64) MPa in the orientation vertical to the layers while the compression strength of (25 +/- 3.4) MPa in the orientation parallel to the layers.

Chitosan/beta-TCP composite microspheres were fabricated by solid-in-water-in-oil (s/w/o) emulsion cross-linking method. In order to improve the cross-linking strength of the microspheres, the preparatory cross-linking procedure was introduced by adding dilute glutaraldehyde solution into chitosan/beta-TCP slurry before emulsion in liquid paraffin. By rheological measuring, the kinetics of the initial stage of gelation in chitosan/beta-TCP slurry containing glutaraldehyde was studied. When the procedure parameters of preparatory cross-linking were 3ml, 0.5%wt, and 10min, the optimal microspheres, which possess good spherical shape, and about 100 mu m similar to 450 mu m of diameter, could be obtained.

beta-TCP is widely used as biomedical implantation material due to its good biocompatibility and biodegradability. However, tissue engineering requires beta-TCP scaffold with open cells greater than 100 gin in the diameter. Using foaming or replication method to produce porous scaffold, it is an efficient way to improve the strength and sintering property of scaffold. The physical and chemical properties of the two beta-TCP powders calcined under 850degreesC and 1050degreesC were analyzed. The influences of the dispersant content and solid loading on the viscosity of beta-TCP suspensions were discussed. 50 vol% suspensions with low viscosity were successfully prepared and the rheological properties were studied.

In this paper, the high-temperature creep behavior of Al2O3/Ti3SiC2 multilayer composites prepared by in-situ synthesis was studied. According to the stress-strain curves, the creep stages with instantaneous strain and steady-state were found. From them, the creep function was determined, in which the stress exponent was 1.4 and activation energy was 204 kJ/mol, respectively. Contrasting to the monolithic ceramics of Al2O3 and Ti3SiC2, it was found that the stress exponent was closed to them and the activation energy was lower than that of them, which was suggested that creep strain were sensitive to testing temperature. The main creep mechanisms include: interface diffusion creep (in Al2O3 layers) and dislocation movement creep, grain delamination, boundary slip (in Ti3SiC2 layers). Otherwise, the influence of oxidation in Ti3SiC2 layer to creep behavior of this material was noticeable.

Alumina ceramic samples were fabricated using high-purity a-Al2O3 powder with the average particle size of 0.55 mu m doped with small amount of MgO and La2O3 as starting materials and adopting different sintering process under air atmosphere and normal pressure. The influences of the kind and amount of additives and sintering process on the microstructure of alumina ceramic were studied.

Sr1-x-yBaxCayTiO3-based capacitor-varistor ceramic materials doped with MnCO3 were prepared by means of conventional solid reaction. The electrical properties of the ceramics doped with different MnCO3 dopants and oxided heat-treatment at different temperatures were studied. The results show that Sr1-x-yBaxCayTiO3-based capacitor-varistor ceramic materials not only have excellent dielectric properties of grain boundary layer capacitor, but also have higher voltage-sensitive non-linear behavior.

Combination of osteoblast with bioactive material in culture can make the material "alive". In order to study the cellular compatibility and osteogenic ability, the osteoblasts were inoculated onto the bone derived materials and the porous HA materials in vitro. The cell growth and proliferation were detected by SEM, MTT and ALP assay. The results showed that the osteoblasts grew well on all four scaffold materials, and the HA porous materials had better ability in cell adhesion, growth and proliferation. All the four scaffold materials have good effects on inducing bone cells proliferation and excellent cellular compatibility, and they can be used as scaffold materials of bone tissue engineering.

The bioactivity of HA can be strengthened by the formation of a biologically active bone-like apatite layer on its surface. improvement of apatite-forming ability was attempted by subjecting the porous HA to treatments in the NaOH solutions of different concentration. After treatments, OH groups were it was found that produced on the surface of the samples. The treated samples formed a bone-like apatite layer on their surfaces in simulated body fluids (SBF) more quickly than the untreated samples. It is assumed that the formation of the apatite layer was accelerated by the OH groups which were formed on the surfaces of the treated samples.

RP machine forms a specified thick layer by depositing a lot of points at the same height, and forms a body by accumulating a lot of layers longitudinally. This process demonstrates that body is actually made up of 3-D points. So, Point cloud model is combined with 3-D RP machine naturally. Point cloud model is derived from 3-D CT slices.

a-TCP/DCPD bone cement is a kind of fast-setting calcium phosphate cement. The influence of type and concentration of solidified agent on the properties of the a-TCP/DCPD bone cement was studied and the setting time, microstructure and the phase composition of the samples were investigated. The results showed that: the setting time was about 5 minsimilar to15 min, and changed with the type and the concentration of the solution; the solidified products are generally formed with micro pores and lamellar and needle-like crystallites; after immersed in SBF at 37 degreesC for a week, the phase composition is mainly HA with low-crystallinity

Porous hydroxyapatite (HA) ceramic scaffolds were prepared using three-dimensional (3-D) gel-lamination technology with sodium lauryl sulfate as foaming agent and lauryl as foaming stabilizing agent. With gelling system of sodium alginate and calcium chloride, the foamy HA slurry was gelled layer by layer on the 3-D gel-lamination machine to prepare the porous ceramic scaffolds. The viscosity of the foamy ceramic slurry was examined. After sintering, the porous HA bioceramic was characterized in terms of the porous microstructure and mechanical properties. The experimental results demonstrated that the resultant porous ceramic with appropriate pore size, porosity characters, mechanical properties and bioactivity could be obtained.

This paper proposes a new method to incorporate SiC nanoparticles with Si3N4 powder, using the reaction between Si3N4 and pyrolyzed carbon. The results show that this reaction proceeded quickly at 1600 degreesC. The composite powders are composed of micron Si3N4 particles, nanosized beta -SiC particles and nanodiametered alpha -SiC whiskers.