Preparation and characterization of β-Tricalcium phosphate powders with high solubility for chelate-setting calcium-phosphate cements

We have previously developed a novel chelate-setting β-Tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) cement with non-fragmentation property in vivo. This novel cement has been set on the basis of chelate-setting mechanism of inositol phosphate (IP6). In this study, β-TCP powders were synthesized by mechanochemical method, and the as-prepared powders were heated at 600-1300°C for 1 h. Some properties of the resulting powders were examined. The crystalline phase of the resulting powders in the range of 600-1100°C was of β-TCP single phase. In the cases at 1200°C and 1300°C, the resulting powders were composed of β-TCP and α-TCP. Median particle sizes of the resulting powders increased with heating temperature from 5.35 μm up to 47.7 μm. Dissolution rate of Ca²⁺ ions from the β-TCP powders was measured by Japanese Industrial Standard T 0330-3. When the heating temperature was at 700°C, the Ca²⁺ ions solubility was the highest among examined samples. The β-TCP powder heated at 700°C for 1 h will be expected as the starting powder for paste-like artificial bone filler with excellent solubility.