Synthesis of bioactive polyvinyl alcohol/silica hybrid fibers for bone regeneration

Polyvinyl alcohol/silica (PVA/SiO2) hybrid fibers were prepared via a sol-gel combined electrospinning technique, and their potential application in bone tissue engineering was evaluated in terms of in vitro bioactivity. When the PVA concentration was 8%, the obtained PVA/SiO2 hybrid fibers exhibited a uniform and continuous morphology, with an average fiber diameter of about 542.9 nm. The SiO2 xerogel phase was uniformly distributed within the PVA matrix, and its actual content was very close to the theoretical value. After 3 days of immersion in simulated body fluid (SBF), the PVA/SiO2 hybrid fibers displayed a vigorous precipitation of lamellar apatite crystals, reflecting their excellent in vitro bioactivity.