Synthesis and Characterization of Porous Titania for Bone Implants

Abstract

Porous materials based on Hydroxyapatite (HA), zirconia, and alumina have very interesting applications in the field of bone regeneration, bone filling, and bone implants because of the unique biocompatible characteristics that they exhibit. Numerous studies have been published on these materials as candidates for bone implants. Titania is another biocompatible material which possesses many interesting properties and can be a formidable candidate for artificial bone implants.In the present thesis, the role of titania as a suitable bone implant material has been studied. The study deals with the synthesis, characterization, and mechanical performance of titania as a bone generative material. In terms of structure, the fabricated sample should be very similar to the natural bone. Bones are highly porous tissues. Therefore, the goal is to synthesize highly porous titania samples and obtain an optimal set of synthesis conditions which also matches the mechanical performance of the natural bone keeping in view the trade-off between the porosity and mechanical strength of a material. The results of various synthesis routes have been compared and the optimal synthesis conditions have been proposed which meets these demands when titania is used as a bone substitute material.