Synthesis of Al₂O₃-Reinforced SrO-SiO₂-K₂O glasses with enhanced optical, and biological properties for biomedical...

Biomaterials are engineered to interact with biological systems for treating, enhancing, or replacing organs, tissues, or functions. Bioactive glasses show strong potential in bone regeneration, drug delivery, soft tissue repair, and wound healing. So, numerous attempts have been made to fabricate transparent glasses within the glassy composition (45-x)SrO - 45SiO₂ - 10K₂O - xAl₂O₃ (0 ≤ x ≤ 6 mol%) for biomedical applications. X-ray Diffractometer was performed and confirmed the amorphous behaviour of the sintered glasses, indicating a short-range order structure. Further, the density (ρ) of the glasses was measured based on the Archimedes principle, and an increment was obtained from 3.0945 to 3.3465 g/cm³ with increasing Al₂O₃ content. Additionally, numerous properties, like molar volume, oxygen packing density, and field strength, were calculated and found to be improved, including structural stability. Moreover, to study structural and functional groups within the glassy matrix, FTIR spectroscopy was performed. Furthermore, to study the optical behaviour of fabricated glasses, UV-visible spectroscopy was executed. Using Tauc's plots, the energy band gap was determined and found to be decreased from 4.94 to 4.79 eV with increasing Al₂O₃ content. The MTT assay revealed dose-dependent cytotoxicity against cancer cells, with IC50 values decreasing from ~ 121 µg/ml to ~ 99 µg/ml, respectively. Among all samples, 39SrO-45SiO₂-10K₂O-6Al₂O₃ (SrKS6A) demonstrated the highest biocompatibility and anticancer efficacy, turning it into a contender for biomedical applications. The incorporation of Al₂O₃ improved the structural, optical, and biocompatibility characteristics of the glasses, positioning SrKS6A as the most promising composition for advanced photonic and biomedical uses.