Ioana Martin

Masterstudententin

Synthesis and Characterization of Rare Earth Doped Bioactive Glasses for Biomedical Applications

Supervisors: Dr. Qaisar Nawaz, Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini

Medical supervisor: Prof. Andreas Arkudas

Rare-earth elements are gaining attention for doping bioactive glasses for diverse biomedical uses. Such elements show promise due to their biological activity and the functionalities they can impart to standard bioactive glasses [1-3]. This thesis explores the sol-gel synthesis of silicate-based glasses incorporating rare-earth elements to evaluate the effect of such additives on the bioactivity and ion release in simulated physiological conditions. The materials will be characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and ICP-OES, with in vitro bioactivity assessed via apatite formation in simulated body fluid (SBF). Potential applications include bone regeneration, therapeutic coatings, and targeted drug delivery [3, 4].

[1] G. P. Delpino et al., „Sol-gel-derived 58S bioactive glass containing holmium aiming brachytherapy applications: A dissolution, bioactivity, and cytotoxicity study,“ Materials Science and Engineering: C, vol. 119, p. 111595, Feb. 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.msec.2020.111595.

[2] Q. Nawaz et al., „Synthesis and characterization of manganese containing mesoporous bioactive glass nanoparticles for biomedical applications,“ J Mater Sci: Mater Med, vol. 29, no. 5, May 2018, doi: 10.1007/s10856-018-6070-4.

[3] U. Pantulap, M. Arango-Ospina, and A. R. Boccaccini, „Bioactive glasses incorporating less-common ions to improve biological and physical properties,“ J Mater Sci: Mater Med, vol. 33, no. 1, Jan. 2022, doi: 10.1007/s10856-021-06626-3.

[4] T. Zambanini et al., „Holmium-Containing Bioactive Glasses Dispersed in Poloxamer 407 Hydrogel as a Theragenerative Composite for Bone Cancer Treatment,“ Materials, vol. 14, no. 6, p. 1459, Mar. 2021, doi: 10.3390/ma14061459.