Fe-doped bioactive glass-derived scaffolds produced by sol-gel foaming

Multifunctional scaffolds were prepared by foaming Fe-containing sols according to a composition-optimized approach. These foams exhibited high specific surface area (16-80 m2/g) and hierarchical porosity from the macro- (50-600 µm) to the meso-scale (4-20 nm). The effects of iron content on the textural properties and in vitro bioactivity were investigated. It was observed that the increase of iron content involved a decrease of specific surface and mesopore size. Interestingly, an excellent apatite-forming ability was observed regardless of the material composition. The potential osteoconductivity of these bioactive foams, coupled with their ferrimagnetic properties, open new perspectives as regards the hyperthermia-assisted treatment and regeneration of osseous defects caused by bone cancer.