Alginate/bioactive glass beads: synthesis, morphological and compositional changes caused by SBF immersion method

Composites of biodegradable polymers/bioactive glasses (BG) are of particular interest in bone repair, where ceramic phase can improve osteogenic features. This work reports the development of organic-inorganic beads based on alginate prepared by incorporating at polymer suspension different contents (25, 50 and 75 wt% with respect to alginate) of BG present at precursor solution, whose system (SiO₂-CaO-P₂O₅) was obtained by hydrolysis of both tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and triethylphosphate (TEP) alkoxides, molar ratio TEOS:TEP of 1:0.1317, and which calcium source came from the same cold CaCl₂ solution used to gelling the hybrids. Beads were synthesized by extruding mixtures, drop by drop, in CaCl₂ solution. Were also investigated the behavior resulting upon soaking of hybrids into SBF. Samples were characterized by SEM, ATR-FTIR, TGA and XRD analysis. Results indicated decrease in spheres size with increase of glass and presence even pos-immersion, of Si, Ca and P associated to BG phase. (author)