Study on the effect of heat treatment on human bone mineral microstructure

Abstract

Bones fundamentally composed of organic substances, Calcium carbonate and water , actually being considered as a composite material, each component of which contributing to remarkable mechanical properties of bones. The investigation presented in this work aims to highlight the compositional changes that occur in human bone structure by thermal treatment. In addition to describe more accurately the changes to bone crystallite size and shape during an experimental heating. This study aims to elucidate more clearly the changes to bone mineral during burning using a combination of XRD (X-Ray Diffraction) and SAXS(Small Angle X-Ray Scattering) techniques. Our aim is to test the hypothesis that changes to crystallite size and shape during early stages of burning and at lower temperatures may be more readily visible using SAXS, thus opening up a new route into the investigation of the effects of heat treatment on bone mineral in biomaterials research as well as archaeological and forensic contexts. Our results show bone crystallites begin to alter in heating to 5000C. While the samples heated to lower temperature produce XRD traces showing little alternation to the apatite chemicals. Corresponding information obtained from XRD and SAXS shows an early subtle changes in crystal parameters.