Three routes for the synthesis of the bioceramic powder of the CaO-MgO-SiO2 system

We report three routes for the synthesis of CaO-MgO-SiO2 (CMS) bioceramic powder using different Si sources and synthesis procedures. The ceramic powders were synthesized from Na2SiO3 waste solution by the sol-gel process combined with co-precipitation (synthesis route I and synthesis route II), and from TEOS (tetraethyl orthosilicate) by conventional sol-gel (synthesis route III). Ceramic powders of the CMS multiphase system were obtained, including diopside, wollastonite, akermanite, monticellite and merwinite, which are suitable for application as biomaterial. These powders were sintered at 1200 degrees C for 2 h to obtain the CMS ceramics. The ceramics mostly contained diopside and wollastonite crystalline phases. Those ceramics when submitted to cytotoxicity tests revealed to be non-cytotoxic, according to ISO10993-5:2009. The ceramics were tested for in vitro bioactivity while soaked in simulated body fluid (SBF) solution. After 14 days, the presence of hydroxyapatite particles on the surface of ceramics was confirmed by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) micrographs. The surfaces were completely covered with hydroxyapatite, after 21 days. In summary, CaO-MgO-SiO2 (CMS) ceramic powder derived from three routes of synthesis have potential application in the biomedical area. However, further in-vitro and in-vivo studies are needed. (AU)