The effect of KF on the structural evolution of natural hydroxyapatite during conventional and microwave sintering

Abstract In this work, we studied the effect of microwaves and addition KF on the structural development of natural hydroxyapatite (bovine bone) during sintering using two types of furnaces: conventional: 1100–1300 °C and microwave: 900–1200 °C. Chemical as well as mechanical evolution monitoring of the material is ensured by X-ray diffraction, infrared and micro-hardness tests. Thanks to these characterization methods, we have shown that KF plays an important role in the stability of hydroxyapatite during sintering and mechanically enhances it with the emergence of the new phase resulting from the interaction between KF and hydroxyapatite called “Fluorapatite".