Ultra-fast microwave-assisted synthesis of diopside nanopowder for biomedical applications

Abstract Diopside (CaMgSi2O6) has recently attracted considerable attention in several fields due to its wide range of applications. In this research, pure diopside nanopowder was fabricated by microwave irradiation technique. Synthesis of diopside nanopowder through microwave irradiation technique has several significant advantages when compared to the other techniques; these include ultra-short synthesis time (a few minutes), cost-effective, high purity of the synthetized powder, and low required calcination temperature. The formation of pure crystalline diopside nanopowder was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD)rgy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses. The synthesized powder was found to be agglomerated and composed of nanocrystalline particles with a mean particle size of ~ 70 nm. In vitro bioactivity evaluation of the synthesized diopside nanopowder reflected its excellent apatite-forming ability in SBF. In addition, cell viability results showed no cytotoxicity and improved cell proliferation. Moreover, cell morphology study indicated that MG63 cells were well attached and spread on the surface of diopside sample. Furthermore, Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity experiments indicated that the synthesized diopside nanopowders could facilitate the cells to proliferate and differentiate. The superior biological properties of the synthesized diopside nanopowder make it a suitable candidate for applications in biomedical applications. Therefore, microwave-assisted synthesis technique could be considered as a novel, safe and high efficient method for the production of bioactive diopside nanopowder.