Preparation, Characteristics and Application of Bioactive Glass

Dear Colleagues,

Bioactive glasses (BGs) were initially developed by Larry Hench et al. in the late 1960s. BGs are able to produce hydroxyapatite when they come into contact with physiological fluids and form strong bonds with bone and soft tissue. Meanwhile, the Si, P, and Ca ions released via the degradation of BGs can promote osteogenesis and angiogenesis. These properties of BGs make them one of the most promising materials for bone repair. Moreover, due to favourable features such as biodegradability and therapeutic ion release, BGs are also widely employed in other biomedical fields such as wound dressings, soft tissue regeneration, and tumour treatment.

Nowadays, new BG compositions are being developed to suit the requirements of different service environments, while the doping of inorganic cations brings additional biological functions, such as osteogenesis, angiogenesis, immunomodulation, and antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activities. A rich variety of manufacturing techniques, such as flame synthesis, sol–gel, foaming, templating, and additive manufacturing (selective laser sintering, stereolithography, 3D printing, ink-jet printing, robocasting, etc.) enable the fabrication of various dense or porous BG nano/micron particles and scaffolds to better meet clinical requests. In addition, BG surface modification, polymer/BG composites, BG hydrogels, and porous BG drug-loading are also current popular topics in research.

We cordially invite authors to contribute research articles or reviews relating to the broad range of topics mentioned above, or other exciting research topics related to the title of this Special Issue "Preparation, Characteristics and Application of Bioactive Glass to Bone Regeneration".

Dr. Si Chen
Dr. Martin Michálek
Guest Editors

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