What is bioactive glasses ?5 answersBioactive glasses are non-equilibrium, non-crystalline materials designed to induce specific biological activity, containing at least one crystalline phase within a glassy matrix. They have diverse clinical applications, including bone and soft tissue repair, orthopedics, dentistry, wound repair, and drug delivery for combating pathogens and cancers. These glasses exhibit high biocompatibility, antimicrobial features, and bioactivity within the body, similar to bone hydroxyapatite in calcium and phosphate content. Bioactive glasses can accelerate skin regeneration by enhancing angiogenesis and collagen deposition, aiding in wound healing stages, and forming a calcium-phosphate-like layer on hard tissues to promote bone regeneration. Their ability to incorporate various biologically active elements allows for targeted therapeutic ion release, making them effective in healing hard-to-heal wounds.
What are the different types of tellurite based glass that can be used for lasers used in medicine?5 answersTellurite-based glasses have been extensively studied for their potential applications in lasers used in medicine. Singly Ho3+-doped TeO2–Ta2O5–ZnO (TTZ) glass and optical fiber have been investigated for efficient 2 μm fiber lasers. Rare-earth ion (Nd3+, Er3+, Tm3+, Ho3+, Dy3+) doped glasses of the ZnO–TeO2 system have also been synthesized and studied for their luminescent properties. These glasses have shown promise for 2.3 μm Tm3+ and 2.7 μm Er3+ lasers, with pulsed laser action demonstrated in bulk Tm3+ doped tellurite glass. Additionally, tellurite glasses doped with rare earths have been used as broadband optical amplifiers and laser devices. The physical and optical properties of tellurite glasses make them suitable for various applications in medicine, including integrated optics, optoelectronics, lasers, and solar energy conversion.
What is phosphate glass?5 answersPhosphate glass is a type of glass that has special properties compared to other glasses. These properties are related to the changes in composition and structural network with additions of different metal oxides. Phosphate glasses have been extensively studied due to their mechanical, electrical, optical, and magnetic properties, as well as their applications in various fields such as biomedicine, optics, and electrochemistry. They are used as low-temperature sealing glasses, hosts for nuclear waste, and as a suitable host material for luminescent ions. Phosphate glasses can be synthesized using different techniques, including the melt-quenching process, sol-gel, and coacervation. They offer potential alternatives for the safe processing of radioactive waste at lower temperatures and have broad application prospects in the field of low-temperature sealing.
What are the potential applications of phosphate glasses in the biomedical field?5 answersPhosphate glasses have potential applications in the biomedical field, including their use in biomedicine, optics, electrochemistry, as low temperature sealing glasses, and as hosts for nuclear wastes. They can be tailored for controlled release of therapeutic ions and drug delivery, making them promising for tissue repair, wound healing, and nerve regeneration. Additionally, they have the potential to prevent biomaterial-related infections by incorporating antimicrobial agents for slow release as the implant degrades. Phosphate glasses are bioresorbable, capable of inducing tissue regeneration, and can be used as temporary implants and controlled local delivery systems.
What are the characteristics of bioactive glasses as biomaterials?5 answersBioactive glasses (BGs) are biomaterials that have excellent properties for various tissue-engineering applications. They are biocompatible, bioactive, and have antimicrobial and angiogenesis abilities. BGs can form a strong chemical bond with tissues and are highly biocompatible. They can be synthesized with different compositions and forms such as nano/microparticles, fibers, and 3D scaffolds. BGs have the advantage of incorporating multiple biologically active elements, such as cerium, cobalt, copper, gallium, selenium, silver, and zinc, which can target different stages of the wound healing process. In the field of bone tissue engineering, bioactive glasses have been used to repair bone defects and can generate a chemical connection with the bone. Additionally, bioactive glasses can be used as raw materials for 3D printing in tissue regeneration applications, as they have excellent properties such as bioactivity, biocompatibility, and the ability to improve osteogenic, angiogenic, and antibacterial activities.
Why is the oxygen packing density of glasses important?5 answersThe oxygen packing density of glasses is important because it affects various physical properties of the glass. The atomic packing density of the glass network is directly related to properties such as glass transition and crystallization temperatures, density, microhardness, molar volume, and refractive index. An increase in atomic packing density leads to an increase in these properties, while a decrease in packing density results in an increase in molar volume. The atomic packing density is influenced by factors such as the composition of the glass, including the presence of network formers and modifiers. Additionally, the excess volume in glassy networks favors the formation of specific glassy structural units, which contribute to the low energy vibrational states observed in glasses. Understanding and controlling the oxygen packing density of glasses is therefore crucial for tailoring their physical characteristics and predicting their properties.