Rice Husk Ash Filled with Hydroxyapatite Based Composite for Biomedical Application

Abstract

Despite several advantages of hydroxyapatite, the main shortcoming is its low mechanical properties. The aim of the research study is the production and characterization of Rice Husk Ash reinforced hydroxyapatite ceramic composite for bone repair. The effect of Rice Husk Ash content and sintering temperature on the wear rate, physical and mechanical properties of the fabricated composite was investigated. The porosities obtained for the samples range from 39±0.1 to 56.53±0.14%. The porosity obtained in this study falls within the range of 40 and 90% which makes it suitable for osteo-integration. The trend from the mechanical properties shows that the addition of the rice husk ash significantly improves the measurement since it serves as a barrier to the propagation of cracks and consequently serves as an additional toughening mechanism. The wear rates obtained for the samples are 0.036, 0006, 0.0016, 0.009 for 0, 0.5, 1, and 1.5 wt.%RHA respectively. This shows that the wear rate of the samples reduces drastically with the addition of the rice husk.