Influence of glass composition on the network structure and mineralization of europium containing mesoporous bioactive glass nanoparticles

A mesoporous bioactive glass nanoparticle (MBN) containing functional elements effectively enhances its healing effect in medical applications. The MBN mainly comprises SiO2 structure and controls the composition by incorporating functional ions into the glass network, which affects the network structure and bioactivity. Europium has already been identified to have luminescence properties for drug delivery systems and positively affects osteogenic properties. Therefore, in this study, we recognize the changes in the glass network according to different compositions with the same amount of europium oxide (10 mol%).The MBN compositions with SiO2–CaO–P2O5–Eu2O3 were synthesized by sol-gel method, and we control the contents of SiO2 and CaO, respectively. The obtained Eu-containing MBNs had spherical morphology with mesoporous structure. Changes in bioactivity and mineralization properties would be investigated to apply the dental products. After soaking in simulated body fluid (SBF), Eu-containing MBNs with substituted SiO2 form an amorphous calcium phosphate phase on their surface. The results indicate that incorporating Eu in the bioactive glass network is an effective strategy for mineralization and developing novel multifunctional MBNs for bone tissue and drug delivery carriers.