The effects of PEG assisted synthesis and zinc addition on gamma irradiated bioactive glasses

Abstract Zinc containing bioactive glasses were prepared by means of sol–gel procedure, in the presence of polyethylene glycol (PEG) considered as surfactant agent. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV–Vis absorption spectroscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR) were employed to reveal the bioactive glass response to gamma irradiation in terms of defects generation. The results proved that gamma irradiation induces structural changes within the glass matrix, which are strongly dependent on the sample composition. ZnO addition to the glasses network was found to confer structural stability against gamma irradiation, while the use of PEG during the samples preparation favoured the generation of network defects especially in ZnO containing samples.