Investigation into carboxylic acids as cement reactants

Bajpai et al. originally reported the formation of cements by the mixture of carboxylic acids and P-tricalcium phosphate (beta-TCP). In the current study, we report and contrast four such cement systems formed from mixing citric, malic, 2-oxoglutaric or phosphoric acid with beta-TCP. Cements formed from malic or 2-oxoglutaric appeared to contain crystalline phases and were determined to contain brushite, beta-TCP and unreacted acid. In contrast, cement formed with citric acid was poorly crystalline, containing little evidence of brushite formation and was unstable in water and therefore does not appear to be a feasible cement system.