Effects of time, temperature and precursor on solid state synthesis of α-TCP

The effects of solid state synthesis process parameters (time and temperature) and primary calcium precursor on the amount of produced α-tricalcium phosphate (Ca3(PO4)2 or α -TCP) have been investigated. α-TCP was synthesized by firing of stoichiometric amount of calcium carbonate and monetite in first group and calcium carbonate and brushite in the second group, once at 1350°C for 3,6,8,16 h dwelling times and once at 1400°C for 6h. In spite of quenching the heated mixtures of precursors from 1350°C and 1400°C, β-polymorph was formed as a second phase in resultant TCP. Meanwhile, the amount of α and β phases at each heating program were investigated through XRD and Rietveld refinement. It was found that wih identical heating programs, the amount of final α-TCP in the first group with monetite is more than the second group. Also increasing the dwell time from 3h to 16h and temperature from 1350°C to 1400°C increases the amount of α-TCP and reduces β-TCP subsequently.