Effect of nitridation on the aqueous dissolution of Na2O–K2O–CaO–P2O5 metaphosphate glasses

The use of oxynitride glasses is presented as an alternative for the preparation of bioresorbable phosphate glasses with a controlled dissolution rate. This work describes the design of oxynitride phosphate glasses within the systems of composition (50-x)Na(2)O·xCaO·50P(2)O(5) and (25-(x/2))Na(2)O·(25-(x/2))K(2)O·xCaO·50P(2)O(5) (x=5, 10, 15, 20 mol.%) throughout the processing parameters of the ammonolysis reaction and the glass composition. Mixed-alkali sodium-potassium phosphate glasses with low CaO contents present the best characteristics for nitridation. The dissolution rate has been determined by immersion of glass samples in water, at constant temperature of 37 °C, and has been discussed as a function of both modifiers composition and nitrogen content incorporated in the glasses through ammonolysis. All oxynitride glass compositions dissolve congruently and their dissolution rate decreases by more than three orders of magnitude for the highest nitrogen contents. However, it has been demonstrated that nitrogen contents as low as 2-3 wt.% (i.e. a 0.2N/P ratio) are sufficient to decrease the dissolution rate by one order of magnitude with respect to the pure oxide glasses. Novel oxynitride phosphate glasses with a controlled and congruent dissolution are proposed for future applications in biodegradable composite materials, tissue engineering or host matrices for the controlled release of drugs.