Structure, degradation and hydroxyapatite conversion of B-doped 58S bioglass and glass-ceramics

Abstract

Bioglass has been widely applied in biological tissue engineering and other medical fields for many years. However, there are still many shortcomings in the application of bioglass, which needs further research. In this article, boron doped bioglasses were synthesized and characterized to evaluate the influence of the presence of B on degradation performance and biological activity. All sieved particles are irregular particles of micro-nano scale. After heat treatment at 600°C, the samples were amorphous, while microcrystals were produced in the sample heat treated at 800°C. X-ray diffraction and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy analyses indicate that the incorporation of boron changes the glass grid structure and promotes the formation of calcium silicate crystals in the case of heat treatment at 800°C. A dissolution study in simulated body fluid (SBF) was carried out, and ion release profiles and hydroxylapatite formation of the bioglasses were assessed. The test results show that the doping of B promotes the degradation of the samples, and the release of the Si in SBF influence the formation of the hydroxyapatite. And CaSiO₃ crystals in the samples heated at 800°C could release silicon quickly, which improve the bioactivity of bioglass-ceramics. In brief, the incorporation of B promotes the biodegradation and bioactivity of bioglass and bioglass-ceramics, and enhances bioglass performance, and thus, they are promising candidates for bone tissue engineering.