Ceramics are non-metallic inorganic materials and vary in composition. They are made by mixing the fine powders of the ingredient material with water and adhesive binder. This is then squeezed into a mould to obtain the desired shape, air dried to dry, and the binder is then burned out by thermal treatment. Firing or sintering at this stage at a high temperature ( over 100 degrees Celsius) makes the residual material extremely dense.
The final microscopic structure of the resultant ceramic is greatly dependent on the thermal process used, the highest temperature reached and the duration of furnace heat treatment. Five types of ceramics are used in arthroplasty: Glass, Plasma-sprayed polycrystalline ceramic, Vitrified ceramic, Solid state sintered ceramic Polycrystalline glass-ceramic. Other factors determining the mechanical and biological properties are the purity of the powder,…
