Bioactive poly(2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate) (pHEMA)/Silica gel hybrid nanocomposites prepared by sol-gel process

A hybrid of poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (pHEMA), a polymer widely employed for biomedical applications, and silica gel, exhibiting a well-known bioactivity, was produced by sol-gel. The amt. of the inorg. precursor, tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), was mixed to the org. monomer, so as to have a final concn. of 30% (wt./wt.) of silica gel to the mass of polymer. The nanocomposite was characterized for its compn. by thermogravimetric (TG) anal., swelling behavior, glass transition temp. using DTA, morphol. through SEM, and bioactivity using FT-IR spectroscopy, SEM, and energy dispersive system (EDS). The nanocomposite showed phase sepn. between the polymer and the silica gel, improved thermal stability and swelling properties and higher glass transition temp. than pHEMA. Moreover, bioactive SiO2 gel nanoparticles promoted apatite formation on the surface of the modified hydrogel, when it was soaked in SBF. Therefore, the obtained bioactive nanocomposite can be used to make bioactive scaffold for bone engineering.