Growth of calcium phosphate onto coagulated silica prepared by using modified simulated body fluids

Abstract

Silica sols prepared by the alkaline hydrolysis of tetraethylorthosilicate were coagulated by adding an excess of a CaCl ₂ aqueous solution. The aggregates were immersed into three different modified simulated body fluids at 90°C to allow the growth of a calcium phosphate phase onto the silica aggregates. The apatite phase grew faster compared to previous studies. Also, the amount of the crystalline apatite yield was higher when the simulated body fluid employed had the largest Ca/P ratio, as measured by X-ray diffraction. The relevance of these findings is discussed in terms of the current and future trends in biomaterials research and development.