Upscaling of CaO Derived from Cockle Shells as Stabilizer for Zirconia with Improved Properties for Dental Applications

Abstract

The aim of this study was to upscale the production of calcium oxide (CaO) derived from cockle shells using an improved protocol and determine its purity, as well as to study the hardness of the new, improved calcia stabilized zirconia (Ca-SZ). A mixture of diluted cockle shells powder with hydrochloric acid solutions (HCl) was stirred to obtain calcium chloride (CaCl2). The homogenous CaCO3 solutions were obtained by mixing CaCl2 solution with potassium carbonate (KCO3) using upscaled mechanochemical synthesis process. Then, CaCO3 powder underwent calcination process at a temperature in range of 300°C – 550°C to obtain CaO powders. CaO showed the result under FESEM analysis as a spherical shape with crystal-like structure as well dispersed with no visible agglomeration. The yield production of CaO obtained was approximately about 5.0g which was upgraded from a previous study. The morphologies of Ca-SZ were observed at three different sintering temperatures at 1200°C, 1300°C and 1400°C were selected in order to understand the morphological and mechanical properties of Ca-SZ after incorporating 8wt% of CaO powders derived from cockle shells. The Ca-SZ pellets were then characterized using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) and Vickers Hardness Test to ensure the effectiveness of CaO powder in fabricating Calcia-Stabilized Zirconia (Ca-SZ). As a result, sintered Ca-SZ at 1400°C showed the most promising performance for nano-CaO act as a stabilizer as it has the highest hardness at 590.03MPa with significantly difference (p<0.05) among all sintered Ca-SZ specimens. Therefore, these findings revealed that by adjusting the previous protocol, upscaling of a pure CaO may be synthesized using natural Ca source from cockle shells. The fabricated Ca-SZ showed a significantly lower hardness when sintered at 1400°C, which may be easier for machining.