Effect of TiO2 and SiO2 on Surface Reactivity of Calcium Phosphate Glasses in Simulated Body Fluid

This study compares the in vitro behaviour in SBF of glasses from two different systems, TiO2-CaO-P2O5 and SiO2-CaO-P2O5 with the same TiO2 and SiO2 molar content, in order to evaluate the effect of TiO2 and SiO2 on the surface reactivity of those glasses. The glass formation regions in both systems were observed for compositions with less than 40 mol% TiO2 and 40 mol% SiO2, respectively. Four glasses with similar TiO2 and SiO2 molar contents have been selected for comparison. These glasses are equimolar in CaO and P2O5 with TiO2 or SiO2 varying from 4 to 33 mol %. Powder glasses were immersed in Simulated Body Fluid (SBF) and kept at 37°C for different times, up to 14 days. Surfaces were observed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and specimen ion leaching to SBF was studied by Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) spectroscopy. Preliminary spectroscopic studies by Raman were performed to identify the structure of the glasses. For glasses of the SiO2-CaO-P2O5 system a significant dissolution of all ions was observed together with the formation of phosphoric acid. In opposition, the immersion of TiO2-CaO-P2O5 glasses produced a small Ca consumption and stable Ti and P concentrations, indicating the formation of a Ca-P rich layer on these glasses. The observed differences in the dissolution behaviour are tentatively explained in terms of the glass structures obtained by spectroscopy.