Sensitivity of novel silicate and borate-based glass structures on in vitro bioactivity and degradation behaviour

Elena Mancuso; Oana Bretcanu; Martyn Marshall; Kenneth W Dalgarno

doi:10.1016/j.ceramint.2017.06.146

Sensitivity of novel silicate and borate-based glass structures on in vitro bioactivity and degradation behaviour

Ceram Int. 2017 Oct 15;43(15):12651-12657. doi: 10.1016/j.ceramint.2017.06.146.

Authors

Elena Mancuso^{1

2}, Oana Bretcanu¹, Martyn Marshall³, Kenneth W Dalgarno¹

Affiliations

¹ School of Mechanical and Systems Engineering, Newcastle University, Claremont Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
² School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, UK.
³ Glass Technology Services Ltd., Sheffield, UK.

Abstract

Three novel glass compositions, identified as NCL2 (SiO₂-based), NCL4 (B₂O₃-based) and NCL7 (SiO₂-based), along with apatite-wollastonite (AW) were processed to form sintered dense pellets, and subsequently evaluated for their in vitro bioactive potential, resulting physico-chemical properties and degradation rate. Microstructural analysis showed the carbonated hydroxyapatite (HCA) precipitate morphology following SBF testing to be composition-dependent. AW and the NCL7 formulation exhibited greater HCA precursor formation than the NCL2 and NCL4-derived pellets. Moreover, the NCL4 borate-based samples showed the highest biodegradation rate; with silicate-derived structures displaying the lowest weight loss after SBF immersion. The results of this study suggested that glass composition has significant influence on apatite-forming ability and also degradation rate, indicating the possibility to customise the properties of this class of materials towards the bone repair and regeneration process.

Keywords: Apatite formation; Bioactivity; Bioceramics; Degradation.