Electrical characteristics of manganese and gallium doped meta-stable silicate and phosphate bone materials

Abstract Hydroxyapatites are important and major component of the body and play a vital role in the development of bones and teeth. Although bone regeneration involves various complex biological processes, calcium silicates and phosphates have been proven as important components for bone regenerative properties. The aim of the present study is to study the effect of manganese and gallium doping on the electrical properties in the silicate and phosphate bone materials which can affect the regenerative properties. Source materials were compacted in the form of pellets and processed at 600 °C for sintering and grain growth with and without selenium flux. Processing at 600 °C produced metastable grains transitioning from crystalline to glassy phase and hence and hence easier to merge in existing grains in presence of selenium. Silica rich material showed crystalline bones, and phosphorous rich phases facilitated the glassy behavior. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) showed stability up to 350 °C and continuous decomposition at high temperature. We observed that dielectric constant and resistivity for the frequency range of 100 Hz to 100,000 Hz at bias voltage 50 mV to 1000mV did not change, which indicates that breakdown of the ceramic material did not occur despite lower resistivity.