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Bioceramic bone cements are commonly used bone substitute materials in today’s medicine. Starting from 45S5 classic Hench’s bioglass such materials also found application in bone tissue regeneration. Both of these materials present a good biocompatibility, bioactivity, and promote bone tissue regeneration, however the final properties of biocements modified with bioglass have not been well investigated yet and they are the subject of my research. The aim of my master thesis is to obtain a novel bioceramic bone cement based on α tricalcium phosphate (α-TCP) and unique composition, novel gold doped bioglass in order to achieve a material presenting better properties than these materials alone. The possible advantages of the designed material are among others higher level of bioactivity, injectability, ease of handling, appropriate time of setting and mechanical strength. The addition of gold to the bioglass composition is promised to have a contrasting effect in magnetic resonance imaging, making the regenerated bone possible to be detected after resorption of substitute material. Such unique properties make the novel composite kind of biomaterial promising in medical applications, especially in controlling the bone healing process. The research is being performed at AGH University of Science and Technolgy in Krakow, Poland at the departament of Materials Science and Ceramics, in cooperation with The King Khaled University in Saudi Arabia. In this study (α-TCP) based biocements with modification of bioglass of 3 different compositions were obtained and two agents were used as a liquid phase; aqueous solution of  Na2HPO4 and distilled water.

Time of setting, XRD, SEM microstructure observations, compressive strength and Kokubo test (incubation in Simulated Body Fluid) studies were carried on the final samples and results were evaluated. The results showed an interesting effect of liquation of the sample with aqueous solution of Na2HPO4 as a liquid agent, indicating a possible chemical reaction between the components of bioglass and Na2HPO4. The biggest advantage of obtained biocements is achievement of injectability and ease of surgical handling without elongation of the time of setting. Further research is going to be focused on improving the mechanical strength of bioglass modified biocements.

Bioceramic bone cements modified with bioglass. As a liquid phase aqueous solution of Na2HPO4  (a) or distilled water (b) were used

Injectability of the biocement samples

Kinga Kowalska

AGH University of Science and Technology

Departament of Materials Science and Ceramics

Krakow, Poland