Synthesis of bioactive polyvinyl alcohol/silica hybrid fibers for bone regeneration

Abstract Polyvinyl alcohol/silica (PVA/SiO 2 ) hybrid fibers were prepared via a sol–gel combined electrospinning technique, and their potential application in bone tissue engineering was evaluated in terms of in vitro bioactivity. When the PVA concentration was 8%, the obtained PVA/SiO 2 hybrid fibers exhibited a uniform and continuous morphology, with an average fiber diameter of about 542.9 nm. The SiO 2 xerogel phase was uniformly distributed within the PVA matrix, and its actual content was very close to the theoretical value. After 3 days of immersion in simulated body fluid (SBF), the PVA/SiO 2 hybrid fibers displayed a vigorous precipitation of lamellar apatite crystals, reflecting their excellent in vitro bioactivity.