The crystallization behaviour and bioactivity of wollastonite glass-ceramic based on Na2O–K2O–CaO–SiO2–F glass system

The study concerns about the crystallization behaviour and in vitro bioactivity of a glass-ceramic prepared from a series of glasses in the Na2O–K2O–CaO–SiO2–F system. A minor amount of cerium oxide was also added instead of calcium oxide in some selective glass batches. The main crystalline phases, formed after the appropriate heat treatments, were wollastonite solid solution and pseudo-wollastonite-like phases. There is a preferential tendency for wollastonite (CaSiO3) to accommodate K, Na, F, and Ce ions in its structure forming wollastonite solid solution with variable formulas. The bioactivity of the resulting crystalline materials was examined in vitro by immersion in simulated body fluid at 37 °C. An increase of the surface bioactivity of glass-ceramic with the Na2O/K2O replacement was observed which is attributed to the augmentation solubility of the crystalline sample. On the other hand, the bioactivity of the crystalline sample with CeO2/CaO replacement was improved by the crystallization of pseudo-wollastonite phase together with wollastonite solid solution phase.