Synthesis and Characterization of Bioactive Glass via CTAB Modified Sol-Gel Method for In Vitro Biological Activities

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Materials Chemistry
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Traditional bone defect repair methods have limitations.
• Bioactive glasses (BGs) offer advanced bone disease treatment by bonding to bone via hydroxyapatite (HAp) layer formation.
• Current BGs often use toxic catalysts or surfactants with limited structural control and potential toxicity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize a novel bioactive glass using a sol-gel process with citric acid as a catalyst and low concentration CTAB as a structure-directing agent.
• To evaluate the synthesized BGs' bioactivity, biocompatibility, and biodegradability.
• To address the limitations of toxicity and poor structural control associated with conventional BG synthesis.

Main Methods:

• Sol-gel synthesis of bioactive glasses using citric acid and varying concentrations of CTAB.
• Characterization using XRD, SEM, BET, TEM, SAED, EDS, and FTIR.
• In vitro evaluation of bioactivity (HAp formation), biocompatibility (cell viability), and biodegradability.

Main Results:

• The 0.3 M CTAB modified BG (BG3) exhibited a larger specific surface area, spherical particles, and mesoporous structure.
• BG3 demonstrated enhanced in vitro bioactivity and biodegradability compared to other formulations.
• All synthesized BG samples showed cell viability above 70%, confirming their biocompatibility.

Conclusions:

• CTAB-modified bioactive glasses synthesized via sol-gel process show promise for bone repair and regeneration.
• The use of low concentration CTAB and citric acid offers a less toxic and more effective approach to BG synthesis.
• These findings support the potential of these novel BGs in advanced biomedical applications for bone tissue engineering.