Glasses/glass-ceramics with antibacterial properties for biomedical applications

ONE PAGE MAX

Title: Glasses/glass-ceramics with antibacterial properties for biomedical applications

Description: Silica based bioactive glasses/glass-ceramics, containing antibacterial elements (such as Ag, Cu, Zn) were prepared by introducing these elements directly in the glass composition (during melt and quenching or sol-gel process), by means of the ion-exchange technique or by in situ reduction on glasses surface. In particular, the ion-exchange technique was applied for the first time to bioactive glasses and glass-ceramics of a variety of compositions, to introduce a controlled and limited amount of antibacterial ions on their surface aiming to confer an antibacterial but not cytotoxic effect. In situ reduction of antibacterial nanoparticles on glasses surface can be achieved using green reduction agent (e.g. gallic or tannic acid, and natural polyphenols). The possibility of adding these elements in different concentration and for different deepness opens the scenario of obtaining suitable concentration profiles, without negatively affect biocompatibility. Moreover the processes to introduce the antibacterial element can be easily applied to glass powders, glass-coated devices, glass and glass-ceramic scaffolds for tissue engineering, developing in this way a new class of bone substitutes able to promote both osteointegration and low infection risk.

Picture(s)

Contact(s)

enrica.verne@polito.it

Recent reference(s)

M. Miola et al., Materials, 9(6) (2016) 405, doi: 10.3390/ma9060405

M. Miola et al., Applied Glass Science, 7(2) (2016) 238-247 DOI: 10.1111/ijag.12209  

S. Ferraris et al., Applied surface science, 396 (2017) 461-470 doi: 10.1016/j.apsusc.2016.10.177

E. Verné et al., Advances in applied ceramics 107(5) (2008) 234-244, DOI 10.1179/174367508X306532

E. Verné et al., Advances in applied ceramics,107(5), (2008) 245-253 doi.org/10.1179/174367508X289488

E. Vernè et al., WO2006058906.