The bioactivity assessment of silver-doped phosphocalcic glasses

The addition of silver ions in the structure of materials with medical uses is a relatively recent technique for orthopedic and maxillofacial reconstruction and aims to reduce the risk of bacterial contamination in the implant. In this paper are presented experimental results for two phosphocalcic glasses from SiO₂-CaO-P₂O₅ system. One of these compositions synthesized by the sol-gel method has been doped with silver. The unsoaked samples show specific spectra of the amorphous structures corresponding to glasses, such as calcium phosphates and calcium silicates. The only crystalline formations present in the glass doped silver structure was metallic silver, highlighted by the peaks at 37.9 2θ and 44.2 2θ, which gives of this composition as being part of glass-metal composite materials [1]. After soaking in simulated body fluid (SBF), both compositions exhibit bioactivity, formation of hydroxyapatite (HAp) on the surface of the glasses, after the first 3 days, with an apparent maximum after 14 days. The silver doped sample has an increase in the number of HAp peaks and after 21 days of immersion, which confirms the assumption that the presence of silver ions increases the effect the bioactivity of the glasses [2]. These results are also confirmed by FTIR and SEM analysis.