Perovskite BaTi03:hydroxyapatite (HAp) composites have shown promises for possible applications in synthetic bone materials. This paper reports the synthesis and electrical properties of composites of the perovskite family calcium titanate, a well known ferroelastic material that shows quantum paraelectric-like dielectric behavior at temperatures below 50K, with hydroxyapatite. The dielectric and pyroelectric properties of these composites have been studied. The results show that CaTi03 retains its characteristic behavior in the composite with HAp and thus its quantum paraelectric-like behavior is sustained. Results are discussed in view of the standard Barrett equation for the quantum paraelectric or incipient ferroelectric behavior.
INTRODUCTIONComposites of ferroelectric BaTi03 and Hydroxyapatite [Caio(P0 4 ) 6 (OH)2] have recently been studied for their potential applications as bone analog material [1]. As an extension of this work, composites of calcium titanate (CTO) and hydroxyapatite have been synthesized and studied for their suitability as a potential material for orthopedic implant applications. The preliminary data on these composites is very promising; the advantages of CTO-HAp composite over HAp have been discussed in details [2]. In this work, we have measured and evaluated the dielectric and pyroelectric properties of these composites. At room temperature, CTO has orthorhombic structure with lattice parameters a = 5.367 A, b = 7.644Ä and c = 5.444Ä. The dielectric constant as a function of temperature behaves more like a quantum paraelectric or incipient ferroelectric materials like SrTi03 and KTa03. In a typical quantum paraelectric (QPE) case, the dielectric constant does not vary with temperature below certain temperature. These temperatures as reported in the literature are ~ 30K for SrTi03 and ~5K for KTa0 3 [3][4]. In this regime, the ferroelectric fluctuations (and polarization) in the paraelectric phase are overtaken by the quantum fluctuations. The dielectric properties of a quantum paraelectric phase C can be well described by the Barrett equation, ε -A + -jry ψ-ρ , where A is the (%)coth(% r )-r 0