Advanced 3Y-TZP bioceramic doped with Al2O3 and CeO2 potentially for biomedical implant applications

This research studies 3 mol% yttria-stabilized zirconia (3Y-TZP) investigating the effects of Al2O3 and CeO2 dopants on the stability of tetragonal phase and the microstructure of 3Y-TZP determined over the operating temperature ranging from 1250°C to 1550°C. It is found that the mechanical properties of 3Y-TZP are dependent on the sintering temperature and the dopant amount. The current study reveals that the optimum sintering temperature is 1450°C for all 3Y-TZP samples while attaining more than 98% of the theoretical density (6.1g/cm3). With optimum dopants, the 3Y-TZP ceramic samples demonstrate the Vickers hardness of 10.9 GPa and fracture toughness (KIC) of 10 MPa.m1/2. Fracture toughness increases with the dopant content, indicating that the annihilation of oxygen vacancies in 3Y-TZP is responsible for the instability of the t-ZrO2 lattice. To investigate the biocompatibility of 3Y-TZP, cell culture study was performed using osteoblast cells. The results demonstrate a high percentage of cell attachment and proliferation that confirmed the biocompatibility of synthesized 3Y-TZP.