Synthesis, Characterization, and In Vitro Biochemical Analysis of Hydroxyapatite–Bioglass ® Composite Scaffolds for Bone Tissue Repair

Composites of hydroxyapatite (HA) and Bioglass® (BG) have been prepared to evaluate their physical, chemical, and biochemical characteristics. Several researchers have attempted to prepare these types of composites to combine the appealing characteristics of BG (such as high bioactivity and osteoinduction) with those of HA. The sintering temperature for the HA–BG composite system used in previous studies was ≥ 1200°C, which yielded excessive chemical reaction between the precursors (resulting in undesirable biological characteristics), even with addition of as little as 2.5 wt.% BG. In this study, the sintering was performed at 1130°C, slightly below the melting point of BG of 1200°C. This lower sintering temperature prevents excessive reactions between the precursors even with BG content as high as 10 wt.%. The absence of undesirable phases (containing BG < 10 wt.%) resulted in enhanced bioactivity and moderate resorption rate.