PREPARATION OF POROUS CERAMICS WITH CALCIUM METAPHOSPHATE FIBER SKELETON FOR BIOMEDICAL USE

High-strength calcium metaphosphate fibers for biomedical applications are extracted from crystallized products of calcium ultraphosphate gl asses by aqueous leaching. In the present work, new types of porous ce ramics with a skeleton composed of the crystalline fibers are prepared by heating the fibrous products extracted. The fibers in the ceramic are interlinked to each other by glassy phases formed during the heati ng. This porous material has a large porosity of >60%. The surface of the skeleton can be successfully converted into new calcium phosphate phases such as apatite by heating the porous material treated with a m olten salt mixture of CaCl2Ca(NO3)(2).