Preparation and bioactivity of sol-gel macroporous bioactive glass

Bioactive glass is well known for its ability of bone regeneration, and sol-gel bioactive glass has many advantages compared with melt-derived bioactive glass. 3-D scaffold prepared by the sol-gel method is a promising substrate material for bone tissue engineering and large-scale bone repair. Porous sol-gel glass in the CaO-SiO₂-P₂0₅ system with macropores larger than 100 μm was prepared by the addition of stearic acid as a pore former. The diameter of the pore created by the pore former varied from 100 to 300 μm. The formation of a hydroxyapatite layer on the glass was analyzed by studying the surface of the porous glass by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Raman spectra after they had been immersed in simulated body fluid (SBF) for some time, and the porous glass shows good bioactivity.