@article {17493, title = {A nanotectonics approach to produce hierarchically organized bioactive glass nanoparticles-based macrospheres}, journal = {Nanoscale}, volume = {4}, year = {2012}, month = {2012-08-28 00:00:00}, pages = {6293-6297}, publisher = {RSC Publishing}, abstract = {

Bioactive particles have been widely used in a series of biomedical applications due to their ability to promote bone-bonding and elicit favorable biological responses in therapies associated with the replacement and regeneration of mineralized tissues. In this work hierarchical architectures are prepared by an innovative methodology using SiO2{\textendash}CaO sol{\textendash}gel based nanoparticles. Inspired by colloidal crystals, spherical aggregates were formed on biomimetic superhydrophobic surfaces using bioactive glass nanoparticles (BG-NPs) able to promote bone regeneration. A highly ordered organization, a common feature of mineralized structures in Nature, was achieved at both nano- and microlevels, being the crystallization degree of the structures controlled by the evaporation rates taking place at room temperature (RT) or at 4 {\textdegree}C. The crystallization degree of the structures influenced the Ca/P ratio of the apatitic film formed at their surface, after 7 days of immersion in SBF. This allows the regulation of bioactive properties and the ability to release potential additives that could be also incorporated in such particles with a high efficiency. Such a versatile method to produce bioactive particles with controlled size and internal structure could open new possibilities in designing new spherical devices for orthopaedic applications, including tissue engineering.

}, keywords = {bioactive glass, mineralization, Nanoparticles, nanotectonics}, doi = {10.1039/C2NR31895D}, url = {http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2012/nr/c2nr31895d}, author = {Luz, G. M. and Mano, J. F.} }