Preparation of porous hydroxyapatite with interconnected pore architecture.

Since pore connectivity has significant effects on the biological behaviors of biomedical porous hydroxyapatite (PHA), the preparation of PHA with interconnected pore architecture is of great practical significance. In the present study, PHA with highly interconnected architecture was prepared via a simple burnout route with rod-like urea as the porogen. Microscopy and porosimetry data showed that the as-prepared PHA had open and interconnected pore structure with the average fenestration size of about 120 microm. Open pores occupied up to 98% of the total porosity. The compressive strength and modulus of the as-prepared PHA were respectively 1.3-7.6 MPa and 4.0-10.4 GPa.