Impact of aging on bioglass foam structure and properties

Statement of Purpose: Bioactive glasses have been used for many years as bone graft substitutes in orthopedic and dental applications, in the form of powders, granules, pastes and putties. They are resorbable and allow to stimulate more bone regeneration compared to other ceramics. Although they contain many benefits needed for bone reconstruction, 3D bioglass scaffolds have limited mechanical properties. Consequently, a bioactive glass-derived 3D scaffold with appropriate structure and properties for bone reconstruction was recently developed. During storage of the material, it was noted that filamentous crystals were growing on the surface. The phenomenon progressed when subjected to accelerated aging. Further investigation revealed the presence of sodium and calcium carbonates deriving from the reaction of glass with CO2 and humidity. While investigating the formation of these crystals, it was noticed that limited information was available on the stability of bioglass when exposed to different storage conditions. In this study, we investigated the evolution of chemical species grown on foam surface at different aging time points and how the properties of the Bioglass® foam were affected by their presence.