Characterization of bismuth-silicate soles

The bismuth silicate compound was synthesized by the sol-gel method from bismuth nitrate pentahydrate and tetraethoxysilane, as precursors. The sol-gel method is attractive because the processes for obtaining oxides are developed at room temperature. In addition, it allows precise control over the composition, homogeneity, and deposition of coatings. The impact of bone-related diseases and trauma has increased significantly, in recent decades in developed and developing countries. There are materials such as bioactive glasses, especially silica compounds, which are called to play a very important role in this area, due to properties such as osteoconductivity, osteoproduction, and osteoinduction. For 20 years, the sol-gel method and the supramolecular chemistry of surfactants have been incorporated into the field of bioceramics, which allows the control, on a nanometric scale, of porosity in bioglasses. The sol-gel method has allowed obtaining bioactive materials with high surface area and high porosity. The study consisted of shaping soles by varying the molar concentrations of tetraethoxysilane and assessing the effect on aging, viscosity, determining the presence of specific functional groups and establishing the transformations that take place as a function of temperature. The results allowed characterizing each of the sol for possible application in bioglasses.