Bitasadat Mortezaei

Visiting Master student (La Sapienza University Rome, Italy)

Development of Cobalt doped mesoporous bioactive glass (nano)particles

 

Supervisors: Dr. Kai Zheng, Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini

This project is developing mesoporous bioactive glass micro- and nano spheres with controlled morphology for biomedical applications.
The morphology of such spheres is controllable by tuning the processing parameters and precursor characteristics during the synthesis [1]. Sol–gel processing is the primary technology used to produce such materials, allowing for achieving control over the chemical compositions and pore structure of particles. For obtaining a mesopore structure, a typical cationic surfactant, CTAB, has been frequently used. Mesoporous bioactive glasses (MBGs) offer suitable platforms for drug/ion delivery in tissue engineering strategies [2]. The main goal of this study is thus to prepare cobalt (Co)-doped mesoporous bioactive glass nanoparticles. Cobalt is known to exhibit pro-angiogenic effects. The prepared nanoparticles will be characterised in terms of morphology, biodegradation and bioactivity. In addition, the nanoparticles will be characterised in their capability for the release of biologically active ions and therapeutic natural compounds.

[1] K. Zheng, et al., Porous bioactive glass micro- and nanospheres with controlled morphology: developments, properties and emerging biomedical applications, Mater. Horiz. 8 (2021) 300-335.

[2] H. Zhu, et al., Multi-functional silica-based mesoporous materials for simultaneous delivery of biologically active ions and therapeutic biomolecules, Acta Biomater. (2021) in press.