Porous bioglass scaffold for orthopedics applications

Abstract

This work aims to contribute for the development of bioglass scaffolds to be used in bone tissue regeneration. Starting from the classic quaternarian composition of the bioglass 45s5 it was added potassium oxide and magnesium oxide in order to obtain the optimised system: SiO2-CaO-Na2O-MgO-K2O-P2O5, improving the mechanical resistance and the bioactivity behaviour. The mixture was reached by a fusion at 1500 ºC followed by thermal shock, the resulting bioglass was milled to get a particle size less than 40 µm and it was homogenised with a porogen agent (salt), resulting the pressed specimens at 100 MPa of 100, 60, 50, and 40 wt.% of bioglass. After sintering, bleaching and maturation, it was evaluated the mechanical behaviour, toxicity and bioactivity, proving the viability and potential of this simplified method of scaffold’s manufacture, also putting in evidence the advantages of the using salt as a porogen agent in the morphology and structure obtained.