Bioactive glass nanopowder and bioglass coating for biocompatibility improvement of metallic implant

Preparation and characterization of bioactive glass nanopowder and development of bioglass coating for biocompatibility improvement of 316L stainless steel (SS) implant was the aim of this work. Bioactive glass nanopowder was made by sol–gel technique and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) technique was utilized to evaluate the powders shape and size. The prepared bioactive glass nanopowder was immersed in the simulated body fluid (SBF) solution at 37 °C for 30 days. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was utilized to recognize and confirm the formation of apatite layer on the prepared bioactive glass nanopowder. Bioactive glass coating was performed on SS substrate by sol–gel technique. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) techniques were used to investigate the microstructure and morphology of the coating. Electrochemical polarization tests were performed in physiological solutions at 37 °C in order to determine and compare the corrosion behavior of the coated and uncoated SS specimens. Cyclic polarization tests were performed in order to compare the pitting corrosion resistance of the coated and uncoated SS specimens. The results showed that the size of bioactive glass powder was less than 100 nm. The formation of apatite layer confirmed the bioactivity of bioglass nanopowder. Bioactive glass coating could improve the corrosion resistance of 316L SS substrate. Bioactive glass coated 316L SS showed more pitting corrosion resistance in compare with pristine samples. It was concluded that by using the bioactive glass coated 316L SS as a human body implant, improvement of corrosion resistance as an indication of biocompatibility and bone bonding could be obtained simultaneously.