In vitro calcium phosphate layer formation on sol-gel glasses of the CaO-SiO(2) system.

A glass with a composition of SiO(2) 80% and CaO 20% (in mol %) was prepared by the sol-gel method, and its in vitro bioactivity was studied by soaking it in simulated body fluid (SBF) at 37 degrees C. The formation of a calcium phosphate layer on the glass was analyzed by determining the ionic concentrations in solution and by studying the surface of the glass with X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and electron diffraction (ED) after it had been in SBF for varying periods of time. The composition of this bioactive glass, formed of only two components, allowed us to monitor the formation process of the hydroxycarbonate apatite (HCA) layer. The bioactive behavior of this glass indicates that the presence of phosphorous in the glass composition is not an essential requirement for the development of a HCA layer. In this case, the layer is formed because of the phosphorous present in the in vitro assay solution.