Abstract
The sol–gel processing method revolutionizes the biomedical materials field, allowing for the customized creation of nano‐ and porous materials to help treat the toughest challenges in human health. However, this process and the subsequently produced materials have mostly been based on silica, particularly in terms of biomedical glasses. Yet, within the last two decades, there has been increased interest in silica‐free glass chemistries, such as those based on borate or phosphate. Attributable to their distinct properties which allows for linear and complete degradation, these glass compositions have shown great promise for both hard and soft tissue engineering applications, albeit with only a limited number of studies on glasses created through the sol–gel process. Therefore, this review provides an overview of the advancement of nonsilica sol–gel glasses, by focusing on borate and phosphate chemistries, for biomedical applications. A comprehensive review of these materials, including the challenges in processing as well as the current uses and future potential, is discussed.
Highlights
In 1845, Ebelman noticed that “a glass-like material” formedBioactive glass was the first man-made material that was clinically shown to bond to bone[12] and has since been well studied and reviewed in addition to finding commercial success.[13]
Similar to sol–gel materials, the original comafter silica alkoxides slowly hydrolyzed in the presence of moisture,[1] and 19 years later, Graham introduced the term “sol–gel” to describe his research with “silica sols.”[2]. Over the century, sparse, yet critical research on this technique[3] set the foundation for the creation of modern sol–gel-derived materials that have transformed a number of industries.[4]
This offers potential for the production of high surface area porous materials and for the incorporation of active molecules such as antibiotics, growth factors and for the delivery of DNA.”[16a]. A couple of years later, the initial steps toward this goal was carried out by Carta et al.,[21] who was the first to make a wide range of sol–gel phosphate glass (SGPG) compositions, some without silica, that were intended for biomedical applications (Figure 6a; Table 1)
Summary
The sol–gel processing method revolutionizes the biomedical materials field, review of these biomedical sol–gel advances can be found by Lei et al.[8]. Allowing for the customized creation of nano- and porous materials to help treat the toughest challenges in human health This process and the subsequently produced materials have mostly been based on silica, in terms of biomedical glasses. While the sol–gel process has been reviewed numerous times, the majority focuses on silica-based chemistries.[4a,4c,9] This is no surprise because, from its conception, the sol–gel process increased interest in silica-free glass chemistries, such as those based on borate has essentially been synonymous with or phosphate. Attributable to their distinct properties which allows for linear and silica-based materials, and these materials, complete degradation, these glass compositions have shown great promise for both hard and soft tissue engineering applications, albeit with only a limited number of studies on glasses created through the sol–gel process. Field, which has recently been inundated with review articles, despite the growing interest in nonsilica compositions such as those based on phosphate and borate
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