LOW-TEMPERATURE SYNTHESIS OF TRICALCIUM PHOSPHATE AND RELATED MATERIALS

Abstract

: Calcium phosphate-based ceramics, in particular, biodegradable β- and α-tricalcium phosphate (TCP), have re-ceived much attention as synthetic bone substitutes. Although there is a consensus that β- and α-TCP are both high temperature polymorphs, in which the β phase transforms to the α phase at above ~1125 °C, recent extensive studies reported novel synthetic methods for TCP and related materials such as magnesium- or magnesium-free whitlockite at temperatures below 800 °C. While several synthesis methods for TCP and related materials have been reported, few have focused on the low-temperature synthesis of TCP and related materials, but rather on conventional methods. Therefore, the focus of this short review is upon the low-temperature synthesis of TCP and related materials. In addition, future strategies to synthesize three-dimensional shapes of TCP and related materials at low temperature are discussed.