Improvement of mechanical properties of hydroxyapatite composites reinforced with i-Al₆₄Cu₂₃Fe₁₃ quasicrystal

Mechanical behavior of hydroxyapatite-based composites (HAp) was studied as a function of the reinforcement concentration of the quasicrystalline (QC) Al₆₄Cu₂₃Fe₁₃ alloy. The synthesis of the HAp matrix was carried out by sol-gel method, while the synthesis of the QC was performed by an arc furnace with a subsequent thermal treatment. The composites were made by powder metallurgy and cold compacted to form test pieces that were sintered with a constant flow of argon. The materials were characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Fourier transform Raman spectroscopy. The study of mechanical strength was carried through compression tests. The biocompatibility of the composites was tested using an in-vitro cytotoxicity assay. The mechanical resistance of HAp/QC composites increased with the concentration of quasicrystalline reinforcement. Young’s modulus and compressive strength increased in 43% and 21%, respectively, with a 10 wt% QC reinforcement, which demonstrates an hybrid behaviour of the composite due to the inclusion of reinforcing particles in the pores of the matrix. This composite did not show cytotoxicity at any of the QC concentrations. A fabrication route is proposed as a fast, easy and high efficiency alternative for applications in the biomedical industry because of its high scalability potential.