Characterization of the Calcium-Fluoroaluminosilicate Glass Prepared by a Non-Hydrolytic Sol-Gel Route for Future Dental Application as Glass Ionomer Cement

Glass ionomer cements are widely employed in dentistry due to their physical, biological and mainly anti-caries properties. Glass ionomers consist of an aluminosilicate glass matrix modified with other elements, and they contain large quantities of fluorine. In this study, we report on the preparation of calcium-fluoroaluminosilicate glasses by a nonhydrolytic sol-gel route as an alternative approach to obtaining alumina-silica matrices. The glass powders were prepared via the non-hydrolytic sol-gel method, by mixing AlCl(3), SiCl(4), CaF(2), AlF(3), NaF, and AlPO(4). The powders were studied by thermal analysis (TG/DTA/DSC), photoluminescence (PL), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR(27)Al-(29)Si), and X ray diffraction (XRD). TG/DTA/DSC analyses revealed a constant mass loss due to structural changes during the heating process, which was confirmed by NMR and PL. A stable aluminosilicate matrix with potential future application as a glass ionomer base was obtained.