Synthesis and characterization of bioactive glass particles using an ultrasound-assisted sol–gel process: Engineering the morphology and size of sonogels via a poly(ethylene glycol) dispersing agent

• High power ultrasound applied to the sol–gel processing route makes it possible to obtain mesoporous structured materials.
• The use of PEG as a dispersing agent was effective to control the spherical shape of the particles.
• It was possible to considerably reduce the solvent use and the gelation time and to engineer bioactive glass particles with a well-defined morphology and narrow size distribution.
• These innovative mesoporous structured materials may find applications as biomaterials for such processes as tissue engineering.

Sonochemical engineering is a relatively novel field involving the application of sonic and ultrasonic waves to chemical processing. Sonochemistry significantly enhances chemical reactions and mass transfer. Specifically, the application of ultrasound catalysis (sonocatalysis) to the sol–gel method gives rise to materials with new properties, known as sonogels. The effects of ultrasonic cavitation create a unique environment for sol–gel reactions, leading to the following particular features in the resulting gels: fine texture and more homogeneous structure. This study focused on obtaining Spherical Bioactive Glass Particles (SBGs) by the co-precipitation method in a diluted system using polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a dispersing agent that is assisted by ultrasonic catalysis. By this approach, it was possible to considerably reduce the solvent use and the gelation time and to engineer SBG particles with a well-defined morphology and narrow size distribution by adjusting the PEG chain length to modify the surface activity in the sol–gel reaction.

Engineering the bioactive glass particle size distribution and morphology by adjusting the PEG chain length to modify the surface activity in the sol–gel reaction.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide