Mesoporous bioactive glasses. I. Synthesis and structural characterization

Highly ordered mesoporous bioactive glasses (MBGs) with different compositions have been synthesized by a combination of surfactant templating, sol–gel method and evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) processes. The texture properties and compositional homogeneity of MBGs have been characterized and compared with conventional bioactive glasses (BGs) synthesized in the absence of surfactants by evaporation method. The formation mechanism (pore – composition dependence) and compositional homogeneity in the case of MBG materials are different from those in conventional BGs. Unlike conventional sol–gel-derived BGs that shows a direct correlation between their composition and pore architecture, MBGs with different compositions may possess similar pore volume and uniformly distributed pore size when the same structure-directing agent is utilized. The framework of MBG is homogeneously distributed in composition at the nanoscale and the inorganic species generally exists in the form of amorphous phase. MBGs calcined at temperatures ⩽1073 K exhibit ordered mesopores; at higher temperature such as 1173 K, the inorganic wall becomes crystalline and the mesostructure is collapsed. The leaching test of MBG in water indicates that MBGs may have excellent degradability in body fluid, which is important for prospective bio-applications.