Novel rice-shaped bioactive ceramic nanoparticles

Abstract

A study was conducted to synthesize needle-like or rice-shaped bioactive ceramic (BAC) nanoparticles. These nanoparticles were formulated with an unusually low silicon content and a relatively high phosphorus concentration. This system combined the advantages of hydroxyapatite and bioactive glasses, enhancing its potential applicability in regeneration strategies for mineralized tissues or more conventional medical applications. It was observed that nanoparticles can be mixed with some bridgeable polymers to develop new biomaterials with improved mechanical properties and adequate bioactivity. The study produced new rice-shaped or claviform low-silicon-content bioceramic nanoparticles using an improved sol-gel method, with sizes of about 70nm in diameter and 210nm in length. It was concluded that these bioactive nanoparticles contained small quantity of silicon and showed excellent biomineralization capability.