In-vitro characterization of antibacterial bioactive glass containing ceria

Several compositions of bioactive glass (BG) containing ceria were synthesized from chloride precursor using quick alkali sol–gel method. XRD data revealed the presence of ceria in 5 and 10 mol% Ce samples. SEM and EDX characterization confirmed the nano-size and elemental composition of all samples, while FTIR data indicated that high Ce content has disrupted the silicate network of BG. UV absorption spectrum showed that ceria in BG samples is present in +3 and +4 oxidation states, depending on the initial cerium content. Nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherm confirmed the mesoporosity of the samples. 5 and 10 mol% Ce samples exhibited significant antibacterial properties compared to 1Ce and 50Si samples. All samples induced the formation of apatite particles with Ca/P ratio close to 1.67 upon immersion in simulated body fluid (SBF), confirming their good bioactivity. For the first time, this study has demonstrated that cerium is a promising candidate to impart BG with excellent antibacterial properties without compromising its bioactivity.