Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) Modified Porous Ca5(PO4)2SiO4 Bioceramics: Structural, Morphologic and Bioactivity Analysis

Abstract

Bioceramics are class of biomaterials that are specially developed for application in tissue engineering and regenerative medicines. Sol-gel method used for producing bioactive and reactive bioceramic materials more than those synthesized by traditional methods. In the present research study, the effect of polyethylene glycol (PEG) on Ca5(PO4)2SiO4 (CPS) bioceramics was investigated. The addition of 5% and 10% PEG significantly affected the porosity and bioactivity of sol-gel derived Ca5(PO4)2SiO4. The morphology and physicochemical properties of pure and modified materials were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), respectively. The effect of PEG on the surface area and porosity of Ca5(PO4)2SiO4 was measured by Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET). The results obtained from XRD and FTIR studies confirmed the interactions between PEG and CPS. Due to the high concentration of PEG, the CPS-3 sample showed the largest-sized particle with an average of 200.53 µm. The porous structure of CPS-2 and CPS-3 revealed that they have a better ability to generate an appetite layer on the surface of the sample when immersed in simulated body fluid (SBF) for seven days. The generation of appetite layer showed the bioactive nature of CPS which makes it a suitable material for hard tissue engineering applications. The results have shown that the PEG-modified porous CPS could be a more effective material for drug delivery, implant coatings and other tissue engineering applications. The aim of this research work is to fabricate SBF treated and porous polyethylene glycol-modified Ca5(PO4)2SiO4 material. SBF treatment and porosity of material can provide a very useful target for bioactivity and drug delivery applications in the future.