Production and characterization of miro- and nano-features in biomedical alumina and zirconia ceramics using a tape casting route

A process of micromolding, delivering micro- and nanopatterned ceramic surfaces for biomaterial applications is described in this work. To create the desired structures, tape casting of ceramic slurries on microfabricated silicon mold was used. Several tape casting slurry compositions were tested to evaluate the feasibility of transferring micro- and nano-features from silicon molds. Used ceramics were alumina (α-Al(2)O(3)) and yttria stabilized zirconia. Three types of polymeric binders for the green tape (PVB, PES, and PVP) were investigated using three different solvents (ethanol, n-methyl-pyrrolidone, water). Well-defined features in shapes of wells with diameters down to 2.4 μm and a depth of 10 μm and pillars with diameters down to 1.7 μm and a height of 3 μm were obtained. Morphology, grain size and porosity of the sintered bodies were characterized. Finally fibroblast cells were cultured on the surfaces in order to observe their morphology under influence of the microstructured surfaces.