Abstract
Magnesium is an essential element to the human body, and Mg2+ ion can work to enhance cell adhesion, proliferation, differentiation, and mineralization. From the viewpoint of inorganic glass formation, MgO can be classified as an intermediate, that improves the glass-forming and ion-releasing abilities. The present work reports fundamental data for designing MgO-containing bioactive phosphate glasses with manipulated ion-releasability. MgO-CaO-P2O5-TiO2 invert glasses were prepared, in which TiO2 was substituted by MgO, and their structure and dissolution behavior were examined. Magnesium in the glasses was preferentially bonded to orthophosphate groups. The glass-forming ability and chemical durability of the glasses decreased with increasing MgO content, since P-O-Mg bonds are weaker than P-O-Ti bonds. In contrast, the ion-releasing ability of the glasses improved with increasing MgO content, and the released amount of Mg2+ ion was expected to be within the range suitable to stimulate cell adhesion and proliferation.
