Structure and Degradation Behaviour of Calcium Phosphate Glasses

Some studies have shown a relationship between glass structure and in vitro mineralization, generally associated with the rate of glass degradation, nature of released ions and subsequent Ca-P precipitation on glass surfaces when immersed in a Simulated Body Fluid (SBF). The knowledge of the ionic species distribution in glasses and of the involved bond strengths can be used to assess the in vitro behaviour of a glass. The role of ions such as silicon or titanium is of major importance for the development of new compositions and also for the control of glass degradation behaviour. A comparative study with two calcium phosphate glasses series was performed: Both glasses series – one with Si and another with Ti – include P2O5 and alkaline earth ions in their compositions. Surface reactivity of glasses from the SiO2-containing system have been studied in SBF showing the precipitation of a Ca-P surface layer that increases with increasing MgO/CaO ratio. In glasses from the TiO2-containing series it is shown that the increase of TiO2 contributes for the stabilization of the glass network thus allowing the control of their degradation rate when immersed in SBF. The relationship between structural features of these calcium-phosphate glasses and their degradation behaviour in SBF is discussed in terms of the structural role of Si and Ti ions. It is concluded that glasses with less interconnected species favour the Ca-P surface precipitation. The understanding of this relationship in synthetic physiological fluids is expected to allow the tailoring of glass degradation rates in complex biological systems.