Bone bonding ability of some borate bio-glasses and their corresponding glass-ceramic derivatives

Ternary borate glasses from the system Na2O·CaO·B2O3 together with soda-lime-borate samples containing 5 wt.% of MgO, Al2O3, SiO2 or P2O5 were prepared. The obtained glasses were converted to their glass-ceramic derivatives by controlled heat treatment. X-ray diffraction was employed to investigate the separated crystalline phases in glass-ceramics after heat treatment of the glassy samples. The glasses and corresponding glass-ceramics after immersion in water or diluted phosphate solution for extended times were characterized by the grain method (adopted by several authors and recommended by ASTM) and Fourier-transform infrared spectra to justify the formation of hydroxyapatite as an indication of the bone bonding ability. The influence of glass composition on bioactivity potential was discussed too.