Journal of Advanced Materials in Engineering (Esteghlal)

The positive effect of Si and Zn ions on bone formation and metabolism has already been confirmed. The aim of this study was preparation and characterization of Willemite (Zn2SiO4) for the repair of bone defects. Willemite was prepared through solid state reaction. Phase analysis and chemical compositions were investigated. The zeta potential of the nanoparticles was determined in physiological saline, and compressive strength and Young's modulus of the samples were measured. The ability of hydroxyapatite formation was investigated in simulated body fluid (SBF) and cytotoxicity of the particles was evaluated in contact with human bone marrow stem cells. The results of this study showed that Willemite nanobioceramic is obtained with the expected chemical composition and negative zeta potential. The results also showed that the hydroxyapatite forming ability in SBF was not strong. MTT assay confirmed the cell proliferation and availability in contact with a specific concentration of Willemite nanoparticles. All these findings indicate that Willemite nanobioceramic with proper biocompatibility can be suggested as a novel biomaterial for the repair of bone defects.

With various features such as strong oxidation, biocompatibility and acceptable mechanical properties, titanium dioxide (TiO₂) is among the materials that are frequently used in biological and medical applications. Nowadays, with the aim of increasing the efficiency of titanium dioxide and practical use of this material, doping it with elements such as silver, zinc and iron has been favored. In this study, Ag-TiO₂ and ZnO-TiO₂ nanoparticles were prepared by the sol–gel method and were evaluated and compared.In order to identify the present phases in the structure, X-ray diffraction analysis was used. Also for the characterization of the nanoparticles, Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) and Zeta Potential were used. Inaddition, the antibacterial activities of nanoparticles were investigated and compared. The results showed that sol-gel method could successfully produce nanoparticles of Ag-TiO₂ and ZnO-TiO₂ with the expected combination. The investigation of antibacterial properties of these particles revealed that at lower inhibitory concentrations, Ag-TiO₂ composition has a higher antibacterial activity than ZnO-TiO₂ one.

In this study, NBG was successfully achieved through a sol-gel technique, and to further improve its dispersibility, a crylate coupling agent was coupled onto the surface of the NBG. The 3-(Trimethoxysilyl)Propylmethacrylate coupling agent was used to the surface modification of the synthesized NBG by a wet-chemical method in a dynamic inert nitrogen atmosphere. The surface properties of the biomaterials before and after modification were characterized and compared using FTIR and AFM techniques. The characteristic peaks in FTIR spectra indicated that –CH2, –CH3 and C=O groups appeared on the surface of modified NBG, and also, AFM analysis revealed that the dispersibility of surface modified NBG was improved, significantly. The above results proved that the desired groups of 3-(Trimethoxysilyl)Propyl methacrylate had been covalently bonded onto the surface of NBG. Besides, a nanocomposite scaffold was synthesized using the synthesized NBG and polyurethane foam as raw materials. The morphology of pores, porosity contents, compress strength and bioactivity of the scaffold were studied. The results showed that the biological scaffolds for use in bone tissue engineering with the basic requirements (90% porosity and 200-600 μm pore diameter) were successfully prepared. The polymer component had no effect on the relationship between the scaffold pores and bioactivity of bioglass nanoparticles. Improvement of compressive strength and proper bioactivity of the resulted scaffold showed that it is an acceptable candidate for biomaterials applications.

The aim of this study was to fabricate carbon nanotube (CNT) and bioactive glass nanoparticles (BG) (at levels of
5 and 10 wt%) incorporated electrospun chitosan (CS)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanofibers for potential neural tissue engineering applications.The morphology, structure, and mechanical properties of the formed electrospun fibrous mats were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and mechanical testing, respectively. In vitro cell culture of embryonal carcinoma stem cells (P19) were seeded onto the electrospun scaffolds. The results showed that the incorporation of CNTs and BG nanoparticles did not appreciably affect the morphology of the CS/PVA nanofibers. The maximum tensile strength (7.9 MPa) was observed in the composite sample with 5 %wt bioactive glass nanoparticles. The results suggest that BG and CNT-incorporated CS/PVA nanofibrous scaffolds with small diameters, high porosity, and promoted mechanical properties can potentially provide many possibilities for applications in the fields of neural tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.