Synthesis of 45S5 Bioglass® via a straightforward organic, nitrate-free sol–gel process

• Synthesis of submicron 45S5 Bioglass® via an organic nitrate-free sol-gel route.
• Very straightforward procedure with no need for specialized equipment.
• The process results in a fully amorphous 45S5 Bioglass®.
• The bioglass is pure and homogeneous with appropriately high specific surface area.
• Excellent properties are expected from this material for biomedical applications.

More than four decades after the discovery of 45S5 Bioglass® as the first bioactive material, this composition is still one of the most promising materials in the tissue engineering field. Sol–gel-derived bioactive glasses generally possess improved properties over other bioactive glasses, because of their highly porous microstructure and unique surface chemistry which accelerate hydroxyapatite formation. In the current study, a new combination of precursors with lactic acid as the hydrolysis catalyst have been employed to design an organic, nitrate-free sol–gel procedure for synthesizing of 45S5 Bioglass®. This straightforward route is able to produce fully amorphous submicron particles of this glass with an appropriately high specific surface area on the order of ten times higher than that of the melt-derived glasses. These characteristics are expected to lead to rapid hydroxyapatite formation and consequently more efficient bone bonding.

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