Microwave Sintering of ZrO2 Fiber-Reinforced Hydroxyapatite Matrix Composites

PSZ (ZrO2 Fiber)-reinforced HAp was sintered using conventional and microwave hybrid heating. Microwave heating cycles were ~50 times faster than conventional sintering cycles and enabled the use of reduced densification temperatures and soak times by as much as ~100°C and 55 min, respectively. However, although there was a significant improvement in densification levels attainable before decomposition, the improvements were insufficient to produce near-fully or fully dense samples. However, the promising gains made suggest that microwave hot pressing would be a suitable area for future work. Keywords: Hydroxyapatite, microwave sintering, fibre-reinforced ceramics, bioceramics, zirconia fibre