Bioactive Glass: An <i>In‐Vitro</i> Comparative Study of Doping with Nanoscale Copper and Silver Particles

Abstract

Bioactive glasses ( BG s) based on 50SiO 2 ‐45CaO‐5P 2 O 5 system doped with 1, 5, and 10 mol% CuO or Ag 2 O were separately synthesized using quick alkali sol‐gel method. Scanning electron microscope ( SEM ) analysis of the samples confirmed the formation of nano‐sized BG s, whereas Fourier transform infrared ( FTIR ) spectra showed characteristic peaks for silica and phosphate groups. X‐ray diffraction ( XRD ) pattern of the heat‐treated (700°C) samples revealed the presence of crystalline metallic silver phase in all Ag‐doped samples, while the XRD pattern of Cu‐doped and control sample (50Si‐45CaO‐5P 2 O 5 ) also heat‐treated at 700°C confirmed their amorphous nature. Ultraviolet–visible ( UV ‐Vis) studies along with Energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy ( EDX ) analysis confirmed the successful incorporation of Cu and Ag in bioglass. Antibacterial properties of the synthesized BG s were investigated by quantitative viable count method, and the results were related to the ion release profiles of the samples studied by flame atomic absorption spectroscopy ( FAAS ). Fast initial release of Ag observed in this study makes Ag‐doped BG a better rapid bacteria‐killing agent than Cu‐doped BG , which exhibited a prolonged release of ions, suggesting that it may be a better candidate for long‐term antibacterial protection.