Strontium-doped phosphate glass with in situ formed nanodiamond for orthopedic and dental application

Abstract

Phosphate glasses and nanodiamonds are attractive materials for advanced biomedical applications for their remarkable biological properties. We synthesized a phosphate glass containing in situ formed nanodiamonds, and polyvinyl alcohol was used as a carbon precursor during glass synthesis. Further, we doped these phosphate glasses with strontium considering its promising role in bone formation and regeneration. The TEM analysis confirms the emergence of in situ nanodiamonds. X-ray diffraction studies confirmed the amorphous nature of the synthesized glasses. The sp3 carbon interpreted in x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy also indicated in situ formed nanodiamonds. Infrared, Raman and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopic studies depicted the glass structure constituted of the phosphate tetrahedra linked in chain-like metaphosphates and smaller units. The synthesized glasses have successfully elicited antibacterial effects towards gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus bacterial strains. In vitro studies, which included interaction with acellular simulated body fluid (SBF) and cell-material interaction with human osteosarcoma MG63, suggested the bioactive and biocompatibility of the synthesized glasses. Therefore, these multicomponent nanodiamond containing phosphate glasses could be a promising biomaterial with potential application in bone tissue engineering.