Sol-gel synthesis of spherical monodispersed bioactive glass nanoparticles co-doped with boron and copper

In this work, an optimized sol-gel process for the synthesis of spherical and monodispersed bioactive glass nanoparticles doped with boron and copper was developed, by investigating different synthesis parameters. The obtained glasses were characterized in terms of morphology, composition, dispersibility, structure and in vitro reactivity. The performed characterizations demonstrated that shape, dimension and dispersion can be tailored by acting on the timing of the addition of the catalyst and on the synthesis process, in particular the centrifugation step. The optimized glass particles showed a spherical shape, good ions incorporation and good dispersion. In vitro bioactivity test demonstrated that the boron and copper addition did not interfere with the glass ability to induce the precipitation of hydroxyapatite. The shape, dispersion, bioactive behavior and content of boron and copper of these novel bioactive glass particles make them very promising for both hard and soft tissue engineering applications.

Automated summary

An optimized sol-gel process was developed to synthesize spherical and monodispersed bioactive glass nanoparticles doped with boron and copper, and various synthesis parameters were investigated. The optimized glass particles exhibited a spherical shape, good ions incorporation, and good dispersion. The addition of boron and copper did not interfere with the glass's ability to induce the precipitation of hydroxyapatite in vitro. The shape, dispersion, bioactive behavior, and content of boron and copper make these novel bioactive glass particles highly promising for tissue engineering applications in both hard and soft tissues.