PRECURSOR INFLUENCE AT ±-WOLLASTONITE SYNTHESIS

• Grant number: 23/06336-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2023
• End date: June 30, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Nonmetallic Materials
• Principal Investigator: Gilmar Patrocínio Thim
• Grantee: Caroline Machado de Andrade Ramos
• Host Institution: Divisão de Ciências Fundamentais (IEF). Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica (ITA). Ministério da Defesa (Brasil). São José dos Campos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Among ceramic materials with potential for use in medical and dental applications, wollastonite has gained prominence for its physicochemical properties, biocompatibility, bioactivity, biodegradability and non-toxicity. The different synthesis methods, as well as the silicon precursors used, can influence physical parameters (such as pore size) and mechanical properties (such as viscoelasticity) that can impact the biological response of the material. Wollastonite is capable of inducing the formation of new bone tissue by forming deposits of hydroxyapatite on its surface when in contact with body fluids. Using the wet sol-gel synthesis method, it is intended to verify possible structural, physical-chemical and in-vitro differences between materials produced with two different silicon precursors, tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and silicic acid, with or without the addition of ethylene glycol. Mechanisms will be proposed that approximate the synthesis routes with both precursors so that there is a smaller number of variables between the processes and, thus, it is possible to establish a better relation between the materials. Changes in calcination time and temperature will also be proposed in order to obtain the method with the best result combined with resource savings.