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Bioinert Ceramics: Zirconia and Alumina

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Handbook of Bioceramics and Biocomposites

Abstract

Alumina and zirconia are used as biomaterials since long. The use of alumina, especially, as a dental implant and porous bone substitute was reported in the first half of the 1960s.

Both these ceramics exhibit a high chemical inertness, which is the reason for their high biological safety even at the higher specific surfaces. Due to their hardness being higher than the other metal alloys, alumina and zirconia found their main application as biomaterials in the articular surfaces of joint replacements. Today, the use of zirconia ball heads has practically ceased in hip arthroplasty. Zirconia ceramics are used mostly in dentistry, while in orthopedics are still in use in some niche products. In association with alumina, zirconia is used in the ceramic composites that are presently the reference bioinert ceramic for clinical applications. This chapter is an overview of the development of bioinert ceramics, as well as of their physical and mechanical properties. The behavior of the present composite bioinert ceramics is also described in detail, and a review is given of the studies carried out to assess the biological safety of alumina and zirconia. Finally, the flow sheet of a possible production process for the manufacture of bioinert ceramic components is outlined.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Medicine and Surgery Department, Clinical Orthopedics and Traumatology Institute, Catholic University, L.go F. Vito 1, 00168, Rome, Italy

    Corrado Piconi

  2. Medical Products Division, CeramTec GmbH, Ceramtec-Platz 1-9, 73207, Plochingen, Germany

    Alessandro Alan Porporati

Authors
  1. Corrado Piconi
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  2. Alessandro Alan Porporati
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Corrado Piconi .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University Politehnica of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania

    Iulian Vasile Antoniac

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Piconi, C., Porporati, A.A. (2016). Bioinert Ceramics: Zirconia and Alumina. In: Antoniac, I. (eds) Handbook of Bioceramics and Biocomposites. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12460-5_4

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