Synthesis and Characterisation of Bioactive Glass 13-93 Scaffolds for Bone Tissue Regeneration

Abstract A modified sol-gel method was used in the current work to prepare a 13-93 bioactive glass powder, which was selected for the therapeutic actions of its constituent parts. In particular bioactive glass 13-93 can chemically bond with host tissue and induce osteogenesis. The produced gel was calcined at a temperature of 600 °C, while particle size analysis and x-ray diffraction were performed after the preparation of the glass powder. Porous bioactive glass 13-93 scaffolds were synthesised using the polymer foam replication technique that uses polyurethane sponges as a template. Sintering at 700 °C was then performed for one hour to the produce the required structures. After sintering, the microstructure was examined by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared analysis (FTIR). The x-ray diffraction (XRD) results were also examined. The average particle size of bioactive glass 13-93 thus produced was about 2.978 μm, and XRD pattern analysis showed that the porous scaffolds were amorphous. The microstructure of the 13 – 93 glass scaffolds contained interconnected cellular pores and a dense network of bioactive glass, allowing scaffolds with porosity between 80 and 83% to be obtained. An in vitro bioactivity test was performed on the scaffolds by soaking them in a solution of simulated body fluid (SBF). The subsequent SEM images confirmed the bioactivity of the prepared scaffolds based on the formation of obvious and dense hydroxyapatite particles on the surface after 7 days of immersion in SBF. It was thus concluded that bioactive glass scaffold prepared in this work via the polymer foam replication technique has the potential to be used in several future applications.