The aluminium effect on the structure of silico-phosphate glasses studied by NMR and FTIR

Silico-phosphate glasses of NaCaPO4-SiO2 and NaCaPO4-AlPO4-SiO2 system have been the subject of the presented investigations. Glasses of these systems are the basis for the preparation of glassy-crystalline biomaterials [R.D. Rawlings, Clin. Mater. 14 (1993) 155]. Detailed knowledge of the precursor glass structure is necessary for proper design of the glassy-crystalline biomaterials preparation procedure. Since there is no long-range ordering in glasses, spectroscopic methods which make it possible to study the short range ordering should be applied.MIR studies carried out in the work have allowed to establish that the glasses of the systems studied show domain composition [L.L. Hench, R.J. Splinter, T.K. Greenlee, W.C. Allen, J. Biol. Res. Symp. 2 (1971) 117; L.L. Hench, R.J. Splinter, W.C. Allen, T.K. Greenlee, J. Biol. Res. 5 (1972) 117]. Domain structure is close to that of the corresponding crystalline phases. It has been shown that even small amount of aluminium in the glass (5 mol.% of AlPO4) significantly influences both, its texture (microscopic and EDX studies) and its structure (spectroscopic studies). 27Al NMR investigations have made it possible to establish unequivocally that aluminium occurs exclusively in tetrahedral coordination, i.e. it is involved in the formation of glass framework. Presence of aluminium results in significant changes in the [SiO4]4− and [PO4]3− tetrahedra environment which is reflected in 23Na, 31P and 29Si NMR spectra. Changes in the shapes and positions of the bands in the NMR spectra of glasses belonging to the NaCaPO4-AlPO4-SiO2 system confirm great influence of aluminium on silico-phosphate glasses structure.