Abstract

Three dimensionally ordered macroporous bioactive glasses (3DOM-BGs), namely 80SiO2-15CaO-5P<inf>2</inf>O5, were synthesized by sol-gel method. PMMA colloidal crystals and non-ionic block copolymers P123 were used as cotemplates. The amorphous 3DOM-BGs had skeletal walls enclosing macropores. Such structure resulted from octahedral and tetrahedral holes of the face-centered cubic (fcc) closest packed PMMA templates and windows interconnecting through macropores network. The thicknesses of the walls were around 50 nm-80 nm and the windows were 90 nm-110 nm in diameter. These wall thickness is increased by with an increase in ageing time up to 24 h and then gradually reduced with further increase in aging time. Vibration bands of Si-O-Si and P-O were evident in infrared spectra which are in agreement with EDS spectra indicating Si, P and Ca compositions. After in vitro bioactivity testing by soaking 3DOM-BGs in simulated body fluid at 37 °C, the crystallization of amorphous calcium phosphate layers compatible to the bone component of hydroxyl carbonate apatite were rapidly formed within 3 h. These results indicated that these 3DOM-BGs resembled ideal bone implant materials.