The effect of composition on mechanical properties of brushite cements

Due to a fast setting reaction, good biological properties, and easily available starting materials, there has been extensive research within the field of brushite cements as bone replacing material. However, the fast setting of brushite cement gives them intrinsically low mechanical properties due to the poor crystal compaction during setting. To improve this, many additives such as citric acid, pyrophosphates, and glycolic acid have been added to the cement paste to retard the crystal growth. Furthermore, the incorporation of a filler material could improve the mechanical properties when used in the correct amounts. In this study, the effect of the addition of the two retardants, disodium dihydrogen pyrophosphate and citric acid, together with the addition of β-TCP filler particles, on the mechanical properties of a brushite cement was investigated. The results showed that the addition of low amounts of a filler (up to 10%) can have large effects on the mechanical properties. Furthermore, the addition of citric acid to the liquid phase makes it possible to use lower liquid-to-powder ratios (L/P), which strongly affects the strength of the cements. The maximal compressive strength (41.8 MPa) was found for a composition with a molar ratio of 45:55 between monocalcium phosphate monohydrate and beta-tricalcium phosphate, an L/P of 0.25 ml/g and a citric acid concentration of 0.5 M in the liquid phase.