Phosphorous-doped MCM-41 as bioactive material

A new phosphorous containing MCM-41 mesoporous material (P-MCM-41) has been synthesized via one-step synthesis. This material was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen adsorption, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and 31P NMR, exhibiting the characteristic ordered hexagonal array of mesopores of this kind of materials and containing a small amount (under 1%) of phosphorous incorporated into its structure. In the in vitro assays of bioactivity the material revealed a bioactive response after only 13 days of assay. In contrast to this, pure-silica MCM-41 does not show evidence of bioactivity even after two months in the same conditions. Hence, the doping of ordered mesoporous MCM-41 material with a small amount of phosphorous appears to be crucial to generate a bioactive behavior that, together with the proven capability of these materials as drug delivery systems, makes them appropriate for its applications in medical science.