Fabrication and Characterization of Novel Porous Bioactive Glass with Enhanced Properties and Biocompatibility for Bone Tissue Engineering

Recently, bioactive glasses have attracted much attention due to their wide-ranging applications and unique properties in tissue engineering. As a novel approach, bioactive glasses containing diatomite, a naturally abundant material, and alumina nanoparticles were synthesized using the sol-gel method. These synthesized nanocomposite materials were utilized to fabricate tissue scaffolds via the polymer sponge replication technique. The thermal and structural properties of the samples taken from the prepared powders were characterized and then the biocompatibility of the prepared tissue scaffolds was examined using L929 fibroblast cell line and their bioactivities were examined using simulated body fluid. Apatite structures, all of which have different morphologies, were formed on the surface of all samples kept in simulated body fluid for 30 days. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analyses revealed the 550-600 cm(-)1 band characteristic of apatite formation in bioactive glasses and peaks at 26 degrees and 32 degrees specific to apatitization. Following the cell culture analysis, the prepared tissue scaffolds exhibited a morphology conducive to cell adhesion, and it was observed that the produced materials did not exhibit any significant toxicity that would hinder their potential use in tissue scaffold applications. Furthermore, the addition of diatomite enhanced the biocompatibility of the material. Consequently, diatomite and alumina nanoparticles were utilized as potential additive materials in bioactive glasses, and an innovative bone graft material was developed by investigating the effects of these additives on the surface morphology, material structure, bioactivity, and biocompatibility of bioactive glasses using various characterization methods.