Characterization and Bioactivity of a Quaternary Phosphate-based Glass Powder Synthesized by Sol-Gel Method

Phosphate-based glasses are suitable candidates for biomedical applications due to their porous structure. This study illustrates the properties and structural characterization of titanium-phosphate glass powders in the 55(P2O5)-25(CaO)-(20-x)(Na2O)-x(TiO2), (x= 5, 10, 15) systems, which were prepared via sol-gel method. For this purpose, precursors of P2O5, CaO, Na2O, and TiO2 were added together dropwise on the magnetic stirrer after diluting or dissolving in ethanol. After gel formation, drying was done for various time periods at 60, 120, 180 and 200 °C. The structural and thermal properties of the obtained stabilized sol-gel glass powders were characterized using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, Simultaneous Thermal Analysis (STA), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area, porosity analyzer (BET), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The XRD results confirmed the amorphous and glassy nature of the prepared samples. FT-IR Spectroscopy results showed that the local structure of glasses changed with increasing TiO2 content. As TiO2 content increased in the glass structure, the phosphate connectivity increased. It was indicated that the addition of TiO2 correlated unequivocally with an increase in glass stability. Also, to assess specimen’s bioactivity, the samples were soaked in Simulated Body Fluid (SBF) for 7 days. The results of this study suggested that glass composition had a significant influence on apatite-forming ability, indicating the possibility to customize the properties of this class of materials towards the biomedical applications.