A strong bioceramic microtube and its use in the fabrication of bioceramic implants through flexible deformation and pressure-assisted forming

Bioceramic implants with complex structures, controllable pore size, and excellent mechanical property are hardly manufactured due to high hardness and brittleness of bioceramics. To address the challenge, the study developed a different way to facilitate the fabrication of a strong and tough hydroxyaptite (HA) microtube (HAMT) and ceramic implants. Ceramic implants such as HA bone cage and screw containing microtube were manufactured through flexible deformation and pressure-assisted forming. The compressive strength of HAMT formed by HA filament with 70 carbon fiber(CF) was 132.4±8.4 MPa, which was 73.68% higher compared to that of HA filament. Furthermore, the HA cage was closely stacked to form dense and uniform structure and had a better mechanical property. The HA bone screw based on the microtube had a compressive strength of 24.5±1.3 MPa and a pullout force of 83.5±1.4 N, which can be used as a bioabsorbable cancellous-bone screw.