Evaluation of Hydroxyapatite-Zirconia Composite Using Palm Stearin Binder System
Istikamah Subuki1, Muhammad Hussain Ismail2
1Istikamah Subuki, Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor, MALAYSIA.
2Muhammad Hussain Ismail, Centre for Advanced Materials Research (CAMAR), Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor, MALAYSIA.

Manuscript received on 10 April 2019 | Revised Manuscript received on 16 May 2019 | Manuscript published on 30 May 2019 | PP: 3191-3195 | Volume-8 Issue-1, May 2019 | Retrieval Number: A1479058119/19©BEIESP
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© The Authors. Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering and Sciences Publication (BEIESP). This is an open access article under the CC-BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

Abstract: The main objective of this paper is to analyse the ability of the feedstock HAp-ZrO2, which has different compositions with the use of palm stearin (PS) based binder system. In this research, the feedstock was classified by the different weight percentage compositions of 90-10, 80-20 and 70-30 of the HAp-ZrO2, with the same ratio of 60% from their optimum powder loading to palm stearin. Thus, the performance of HAp-ZrO2 composite powder is studied through the Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), which shows that the palm stearin binder system had been completely removed in the presence of high temperature of 500
C with a heating rate of 10°C/min. Meanwhile, the analysis of Scanning Microscopy Electron (SEM) was used to identify their physical characterisation of the feedstock. The peak shown by the FTIR test proved that the palm stearin, hydroxyapatite and zirconia are present in each composition of the feedstock. Thus, based on these findings, this study have proven that the well mixing of synthesised HAp and zirconia, and the increasing amount of zirconia can affect the composite powder, especially in terms of time taken for completion of the feedstock process. The effect of zirconia content in the composition can be investigated through rheological test using Rosand RH2000 capillary rheometer. During the rheological test, feedstock containing the mixture and binder was carried out to determine its pseudoplastic behaviour and viscosity. The binder in the feedstock gives exceptional properties to ensure the success of the injection moulding process.
Index Terms: HAp-ZrO2, Feedstock, Hydroxyapatite, Injection Moulding, Rheology.

Scope of the Article: Composite Materials