Study of the structural role of gallium and aluminum in 45S5 bioactive glasses by molecular dynamics simulations

The structural properties of phosphosilicate glasses based on the 45S5 Bioglass doped with gallium and aluminum (46.2 SiO2·24.3Na2O·26.9CaO·2.6P2O5·1.0X2O3, X = Ga or Al) are investigated by means of classical molecular dynamics simulations. Structural features of the two compositions are compared with those of the original 45S5 Bioglass in order to relate them to the different known bioactivities of these materials. Differences in the coordination environments of Ga and Al, network connectivity, and ion aggregation reveal a microscopic model of these glasses which supports the interpretation of the experimental data and provides new insight into the different biological behaviors of Ga- and Al-containing phosphosilicate glasses. Although Ga is found predominantly in a 4-fold coordination environment, small amounts of 5- and 6-fold coordinated atoms have been detected depending on the interatomic potential model employed. This suggests its possible intermediate role in phosphosilicate glasses. On the contrary, Al plays a network former role and leads to glasses with a more polymerized structure. Interestingly, the results show an increased propensity for aggregation of the Ca(2+) and PO4(3-) ions in the Al-containing phosphosilicate glasses with respect to the Ga-containing ones. This leads to insoluble calcium-phosphate-rich regions not detected in the bioactive glasses.