Characterization of Bioactive Glass Synthesized by Sol-Gel Process in Hot Water

Bioactive glass 70SiO(2)-30CaO (mol.%) was successfully synthesized by modified sol-gel in hot water without using an acid catalyst. TG-DSC analysis showed that the amorphous glass could be synthesized by sintering the sample at 700 degrees C for three hours. The N(2)adsorption/desorption and TEM investigations highlighted that the synthetic glass had a mesoporous structure, consisting of spherical particles with sizes in the range of 11-20 nm. The specific surface area, pore volume, and average pore diameter of synthetic glass were 150.13 m(2)/g, 0.37 cm(3)/g, and 11.84 nm, respectively. Moreover, synthetic bioactive glass presented interesting bioactivity and good biocompatibility after in vitro experiments in simulated body fluid (SBF) and in cellular medium.