Since Bruce Willis starred The protectedthe story of a superhero that survives numerous mortal accidents and knows its “antagonist”, played by Samuel L. Jackson, who suffers from imperfect osteogenesis (glass bones), this disease became publicly recognized. So, It is not strange that someone thinks of glass as a bone substitute.
Both glass and bone share a key feature thanks to their molecular structures: they resist better compression than stretching. This quality is the basis of Silica the main component of the glass, which can exist in liquid form and mold freely. Thanks to this, it is possible to create implants that can be manufactured to adapt perfectly to the damaged sections of the bones. While glass has potential, perfecting the printing process has been an obstacle. Until now
A team of Chinese scientists has developed a 3D printable bioactive glass with a resilience similar to bone. In the study, Posted in ACS Nanothe authors show that, In animal tests, this glass favored the growth of bone cells for a longer time than simple glass and almost equaled a leading material in dental implants.
Conventional glass printing Requires toxic plasticizers and extreme heat greater than 1000 ° C, which limits its use In medicine, where security and cost are essential factors.
The authors, led by Huanan Wang sought a cleaner solution. They combined silica particles with opposite load with calcium and phosphate ions, both known for triggering cell formation. This mixture formed a printable gel that could harden at about 700º C. The team compared its new biovidrium, simple silica glass and a commercial dental bone substitute in the repair of the skull of a rabbit.
While the commercial product stimulated a faster initial growth, Biovidrio proved to be more durable. After eight weeks, most bone cells had adhered to the biovidrio frame, while simple glass showed little or no growth. The study indicates that Its material maintained bone growth for longer than existing options. They described their work as an advance in affordable and customizable bone substitutes with applications that go far beyond dentistry.
Beyond the medical results, the team highlighted the technical advance of its approach. They explained that most of the 3D ceramic or glass impression depends on organic plasticizers and sintering at high temperature. Sintering is the process in which powdered particles of a material (such as metal or ceramics) are binded by heat.
These steps increase the cost and time, reduce bioactivity and can even have toxic effects. Its method solves these problems through the use of autorganic inorganic colloidal gels, made of silica nanospheres that are attracted electrostatically.
This allowed them Print in 3D resistant glass structures without additives and finish them at relatively low temperatures through a process known as low temperature sintering. The resulting gels showed a compression module of approximately 2.3 MPa, resistant enough to use as bone scaffolding.
They also retained their capacity for self -repair, which It provides the material for better printing and control of the form. After the sintering at 700 ° C, the printed structures maintained their form, they remained bioactive and favored bone growth in the tests.
“This inorganic 3D` `iporganic printing strategy allowed profitable and bioactivity preserved of bone -based bone substituteswhich led to a better osteogenesis and osteointegrity in vivo, ”says the study.
The good news is that the impact of this advance It is not exclusive to medicine and could extend to industries from machinery to energy.