Tribological and mechanical behaviour of 45S5 Bioglass®-based compositions containing alumina and strontium

Although bioactive glasses have been widely used for the surfaces of orthopaedic and dental implants, its limited mechanical strength, low toughness and wear resistance have prevented their use as load-bearing devices. Considering that even a small variation in the composition of such materials can deeply modify their features, inducing very different physicochemical or mechanical properties, the present research was conducted by modifying the glass network of 45S5 Bioglass (R) by adding Al2O3 and SrO to obtain a highly bioactive glass with improved mechanical and tribological performance for biomedical applications. The addition of 2% Al2O3 and 2% SrO produced a dense material with the same elastic modulus as 45S5 (similar to 50 GPa). Moreover, the bending strength increased by 60% and the toughness doubled. The wear rate obtained against steel was found to be three times lower than that of 45S5. From the results, it can be assumed that both alumina and strontium synergistically play crucial roles in the mechanical and tribological properties of these new bioactive glasses.