Effect of Attritor Milling on Synthesis and Sintering of Forsterite Ceramics

Abstract

Forsterite (Mg2SiO4) was chosen as a new candidate for bone implant application because of its superior fracture toughness and good bioactivity. However, synthesizing pure forsterite has been a challenge to many researchers because of its inability to eliminate secondary phases that have similar chemical compounds as forsterite. Attritor mill was introduced to form pure forsterite via solid-state method through the reaction between magnesium carbonate (MgCO3) and talc (Mg3Si4(OH)2). Attritor-milled samples showed superior mechanical properties compared with ball-milled samples because of the smaller particle size of the former which in turn eliminated the secondary phases at low sintering temperature. © 2016 The American Ceramic Society