Preparation and characterization of Fe2O3-CaO-SiO2 porous glass ceramics for bacteria immobilization

Abstract

In this work we present a study of porous glass ceramics towards bacteria-immobilization applications for water filtration. Sol-gel synthesized glass samples were processed into Fe2O3-CaO-SiO2 porous glass ceramics by introducing a pore forming agent. The crystal phase composition, morphology, and pore structure of the ceramics were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), N2 adsorption-desorption measurements, and mercury intrusion porosimetry. By varying the pore forming agent and process conditions, varied pore size distributions are produced. The volume fraction of macropores is overall large while the volume fraction of meso-pores and micropores is overall comparably small. All samples display good biocompatability and compressive strength, making them suitable for bacteria immobilization. The macropore sizes were determined primarily by the size of pore forming agent, enabling control. The results provide a basis for optimizing the preparation of porous glass ceramics for bacteria immobilization.