Fabrication of hybrid material by coating of bioactive glass-ceramic on alumina substrate through porcelain enamel process

In artificial bones, a steady bioactivity over long-term service, no dissol ution of harmful ions and a sufficient mechanical strength are required, th ough the relative importance of the above factors depends upon the implanta tion place. In general, bioactive materials have no sufficient mechanical s trength and, on the other hand, materials with high mechanical strength are not bioactive. In the present study, a porcelain enamel technique was appl ied to produce a hybrid material whose both bioactivity and high mechanical strength, which merely consists of inorganic materials. High-strength alum ina and bioactive glass-ceramics were used as substrate and coating materia l, respectively, and an adhesion-glass was employed to achieve a tight bond between alumina and the bioactive glass-ceramic. Appropriate heat-treatmen ts of the alumina, adhesion-glass and bioactive glass-ceramic composite res ulted in the successful production of a hybrid material that has about 2.5 times stronger in bending-strength than that of an apatite precipitation-ty pe glass-ceramic. This technique gives a useful process on production of ce ramic-ceramic hybrid materials with high mechanical strength and bioactivit y for bone substitution.