Ceramic biocomposites based on bioactive tricalcium phosphate doped with metal ions are a strategy for obtaining good biomimetics for human bone composition. Manufacturing with PMMA porogen also induces bone-like porosity morphology. The poor strength of tricalcium phosphate can be overcomed by designing ceramic composites reinforced with tetragonal and cubic zirconia. In this work, five different bioceramic composites were manufactured without and with induced porosity and their physical, mechanical, microstructural, and biological properties were studied. With the addition of tetragonal and cubic zirconia, an improvement in strength of 22% and 55%, respectively, was obtained, corresponding to up to 20.7 MPa. PMMA was suitable for adding porosity, up to 30%, with interconnectivity while an excellent hOB cellular viability was achieved for all biocomposites.
Keywords: TCP; ZrO2; bioceramic composites; biocompatibility; bone regeneration; metal ions.