Bioactive organic–inorganic poly(CLMA-co-HEA)/silica nanocomposites

Abstract

A series of novel poly(CLMA-co-HEA)/silica nanocomposites is synthesized from caprolactone 2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl ester (CLMA) and 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA) as organic comonomers and the simultaneous sol-gel polymerization of tetraethyloxysilane (TEOS) as silica precursor, in different mass ratios up to a 30 wt% of silica. The nanocomposites are characterized as to their mechanical and thermal properties, water sorption, bioactivity and biocompatibility, reflecting the effect on the organic matrix provided by the silica network formation. The nanocomposites nucleate the growth of hydroxyapatite (HAp) on their surfaces when immersed in the simulated body fluid of the composition used in this work. Proliferation of the MC3T3 osteoblast-like cells on the materials was assessed with the MTS assay showing their biocompatibility. Immunocytochemistry reveals osteocalcin and type I collagen production, indicating that osteoblast differentiation was promoted by the materials, and calcium deposition was confirmed by von Kossa staining. The results indicate that these poly(CLMA-co-HEA)/silica nanocomposites could be a promising biomaterial for bone tissue engineering.

Polymerization kinetics of a multi-functional silica precursor studied using a novel Monte Carlo simulation technique

“…Silica precursors have been used to synthesize several intriguing materials such as silica nanoparticles, [1][2][3] hollow nano-spheres, 4 aerogels, [5][6][7] nano-composite rods, 8 silica composites, [9][10][11][12] silica films and coatings, [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] fibers and elastomers, 21,22 and hierarchical monoliths. [23][24][25] These materials are used or have potential use in vast fields of applications, such as catalysis, 8 adsorption, 6,7 insulation, 25 optics, 23 drug delivery, 1,3,4,12 surface coating and treatment, [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] and water treatment. 10 Though these materials are obtained from the same precursor, they are synthesized using different protocols by changing the synthesis parameters such as concentration, temperature, pH, additives, template, and copolymer.…”