Processing and bioactivity of 45S5 Bioglass(®)-graphene nanoplatelets composites

J Mater Sci Mater Med. 2014 Jun;25(6):1403-13. doi: 10.1007/s10856-014-5172-x. Epub 2014 Feb 12.

Abstract

Well dispersed 45S5 Bioglass(®) (BG)-graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) composites were prepared after optimising the processing conditions. Fully dense BG nanocomposites with GNP loading of 1, 3 and 5 vol% were consolidated using Spark plasma sintering (SPS). SPS avoided any structural damage of GNP as confirmed using Raman spectroscopy. GNP increased the viscosity of BG-GNP composites resulting in an increase in the sintering temperature by ~50 °C compared to pure BG. Electrical conductivity of BG-GNP composites increased with increasing concentration of GNP. The highest conductivity of 13 S/m was observed for BG-GNP (5 vol%) composite which is ~9 orders of magnitude higher compared to pure BG. For both BG and BG-GNP composites, in vitro bioactivity testing was done using simulated body fluid for 1 and 3 days. XRD confirmed the formation of hydroxyapatite for BG and BG-GNP composites with cauliflower structures forming on top of the nano-composites surface. GNP increased the electrical conductivity of BG-GNP composites without affecting the bioactivity thus opening the possibility to fabricate bioactive and electrically conductive scaffolds for bone tissue engineering.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Absorption
  • Body Fluids / chemistry*
  • Bone Substitutes / chemical synthesis*
  • Ceramics / chemistry*
  • Crystallization / methods
  • Glass / chemistry*
  • Graphite / chemistry*
  • Materials Testing
  • Nanocomposites / chemistry*
  • Nanocomposites / ultrastructure*
  • Particle Size
  • Porosity
  • Surface Properties

Substances

  • Bone Substitutes
  • bioactive glass 45S5
  • Graphite