Influence of the thermal treatment on the characteristics of porous geopolymers as potential biomaterials

Highly porous sodium geopolymer structures were successfully produced through the chemical direct foaming approach at ambient temperature. The impact of the thermal treatment, as well as the influence of various additions of hydrogen peroxide, as a foaming agent, on the porosity, microstructure and mechanical characteristics of the produced geopolymers was investigated. The evaluation of bioactivity was carried out by assessing the formation of an apatite layer on the samples' surface, using scanning electronic microscopy and inductively coupled plasma spectrometry for the simulated body fluid solution, in which the geopolymer samples were kept up to 28 days. In addition, the biodegradability was estimated through the weight change of the samples and pH-measurements. The results demonstrated that the geopolymer foams, produced using 4.5 vol% H2O2 and heat-treated at 500 degrees C for 1 h, possessed a high open porosity (71 vol %), excellent compressive strength (3.56 +/- 0.27 MPa), and suitable chemical stability. The pH value of SBF solutions, in which these geopolymers were immersed for 28 days, remained close to the physiological one. The in vitro study indicated that the developed geopolymer foams possessed bioactivity, as demonstrated by the formation of apatite particles on their surface after immersion in the simulated body fluid solution for 28 days.