Comparison of microstructure, sintering behavior, and biological response of sol-gel and melt-derived 13–93 bioactive glass scaffolds
Q. Nawaz,
A. de Pablos-Martín,
A.T. Contreras Jaimes,
F. Scheffler,
T. Wagner,
D.S. Brauer,
A.R. Boccaccini
Affiliations
Q. Nawaz
Institute of Biomaterials, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Cauerstr. 6, 91058, Erlangen, Germany
A. de Pablos-Martín
Otto Schott Institute of Materials Research (OSIM), Friedrich Schiller University, Fraunhoferstr. 6, 07743, Jena, Germany; Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems (IMWS), Walter-Huelse-Str. 1, 06120, Halle, Germany
A.T. Contreras Jaimes
Otto Schott Institute of Materials Research (OSIM), Friedrich Schiller University, Fraunhoferstr. 6, 07743, Jena, Germany
F. Scheffler
Otto Schott Institute of Materials Research (OSIM), Friedrich Schiller University, Fraunhoferstr. 6, 07743, Jena, Germany
T. Wagner
Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems (IMWS), Walter-Huelse-Str. 1, 06120, Halle, Germany
D.S. Brauer
Otto Schott Institute of Materials Research (OSIM), Friedrich Schiller University, Fraunhoferstr. 6, 07743, Jena, Germany
A.R. Boccaccini
Institute of Biomaterials, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Cauerstr. 6, 91058, Erlangen, Germany; Corresponding author.
In this study, 13–93 bioactive glass (BG) powders were obtained through the traditional melt-quenching and sol-gel approaches and were used to fabricate scaffolds using the well-known foam replica technique. A comparative analysis of scaffolds prepared using sol-gel and melt-derived powders was carried out. The microstructure of scaffolds was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray computed tomography. The shrinkage behavior of the scaffold structure during sintering was investigated using heating microscopy (HM). The bioactivity results indicated the formation of a hydroxyapatite layer on the surface of both scaffolds after immersion in simulated body fluid (SBF) for 7 days. In vitro cell viability results revealed that both scaffolds are cytocompatible with MG-63 cells (osteoblast-like cell line). The findings indicate that sol-gel glass-derived 13–93 scaffolds exhibited similar characteristics to the well-known melt-derived 13–93 scaffolds. Moreover, the low-temperature processing and high purity associated with the sol-gel approach suggest that sol-gel derived 13–93 BG powder is attractive for fabricating high-quality scaffolds.
