Preparation and characterization of Li2O–CaO–Al2O3–P2O5–SiO2 glasses as bioactive material

The aim of the present investigation was to study the role of Al2O3 in the Li2O–CaO–P2O5–SiO2 bioactive glass for improving the bioactivity and other physico-mechanical properties of glass. A comparative study on structural and physico-mechanical properties and bioactivity of glasses were reported. The structural properties of glasses were investigated by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy and the bioactivity of the glasses was evaluated by in vitro test in simulated body fluid (SBF). Density, compressive strength, Vickers hardness and ultrasonic wave velocity of glass samples were measured to investigate physical and mechanical properties. Results indicated that partial molar replacement of Li2O by Al2O3 resulted in a significant increase in mechanical properties of glasses. In vitro studies of samples in SBF had shown that the pH of the solution increased after immersion of samples during the initial stage and then after reaching maxima it decreased with the increase in the immersion time. In vitro test in SBF indicated that the addition of Al2O3 up to 1.5 mol% resulted in an increase in bioactivity where as further addition of Al2O3 caused a decrease in bioactivity of the samples. The biocompatibility of these bioactive glass samples was studied using human osteoblast (MG-63) cell lines. The results obtained suggested that Li2O–CaO–Al2O3–P2O5–SiO2-based bioactive glasses containing alumina would be potential materials for biomedical applications.