Synthesis, Characterization and Bioactivity of a Quaternary Phosphate-based Glass Powder by Sol-Gel Method

Phosphate-based glasses are suitable candidates for biomedical applications due to their porous structure. This study illustrates the properties and structural characterization of titanium-phosphate glass powders in the ۵۵(P۲O۵)-۲۵(CaO)-(۲۰-x)(Na۲O)-x(TiO۲), (x= ۵, ۱۰, ۱۵) system, which have been prepared via sol-gel method. For this purpose, precursors of P۲O۵, CaO, Na۲O and TiO۲ after diluting or dissolving in ethanol, have been added together dropwise on the magnetic stirrer. After gel formation, drying at ۶۰, ۱۲۰, ۱۸۰ and ۲۰۰ œC in various time period has been done. The structural and thermal properties of the obtained stabilized sol-gel glass powders have been characterized using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, Simultaneous Thermal Analysis (STA), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area and porosity analyzer (BET) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The XRD results have confirmed the amorphous and glassy nature of the prepared samples. It has been observed that both glass transition temperature (Tg) and crystallization temperature (Tc) increase with increasing TiO۲ content. FT-IR Spectroscopy results have shown that the local structure of glasses changes with increasing TiO۲ content. As TiO۲ is incorporated into the glass, the phosphate connectivity increases, indicating that the addition of TiO۲ content correlates unequivocally with an increase in glass stability. Also, to assess specimens bioactivity, the samples have been soaked in Simulated Body Fluid (SBF) for ۷ days. The results of this study suggest that glass composition has a significant influence on apatite-forming ability, indicating the possibility to customize the properties of this class of materials towards the biomedical applications.

Keywords:

Phosphate-based glass , Sol-gel , In vitro Bioactivity , Hydroxyapatite , Titanium Oxide , Ethanol