PDMS-SiO2-TiO2-CaO hybrid materials – Cytocompatibility and nanoscale surface features

• Two hybrid materials were prepared following two different sol-gel procedures.
• Both are highly hydrophobic but demonstrated to be cytocompatible.
• Different filling regimes were observed.

Two PDMS-SiO2-TiO2-CaO porous hybrid materials were prepared using the same base composition, precursors, and solvents, but following two different sol-gel procedures, based on the authors' previous works where for the first time, in this hybrid system, calcium acetate was used as calcium source. The two different procedures resulted in monolithic materials with different structures, microstructures, and surface wettability. Even though both are highly hydrophobic (contact angles of 127.2° and 150.6°), and present different filling regimes due to different surface topographies, they have demonstrated to be cytocompatible when tested with human osteoblastic cells, against the accepted idea that high-hydrophobic surfaces are not suitable to cell adhesion and proliferation. At the nanoscale, the existence of hydrophilic silica domains containing calcium, where water molecules are physisorbed, is assumed to support this capability, as discussed.

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