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In graphene oxide (GO) reinforced composite materials, the uniform dispersion of GO and its interaction with matrix is highly desired for better mechanical properties. In order to achieve better interlocking and uniform microstructure, ion interaction approach has been used for the synthesis of GO and bioactive glass ceramics (BGC) composites. Oxygenated functional groups of GO played a decisive role in GO and BGC interlocking and towards the uniform homogeneity of the composite. GO-BGC composites with different GO to BGC weight ratios (0.5 to 2.0 wt.-%) were synthesized via the base-catalyzed sol-gel method and characterized by FTIR, RAMAN, SEM, TGA-DSC, and X-Ray diffraction techniques. An increase in micro-hardness was observed with the addition of GO up to 1 wt.-%, however, further loading led to a decrease in hardness. Moreover, GO-BGC composites were thermally more stable as compared to pristine GO. Bio-mineralization studies showed that composites were bioactive and GO supported the formation of the apatite layer. Furthermore, the composites were cytocompatible as was demonstrated by MTT assay using rat mesenchymal stem cells. This study can provide interesting insights into the synthesis and applications of novel composite biomedical materials.

The study aimed to compare the fluoride release behavior of newly synthesized bioactive glass powders and its effect on the pH. The bioactive glass (BG) and three groups of fluoride-doped (2.5, 5 and 7.5 mol%) bioactive glasses (F-BG) powders were synthesized by a base-catalyzed sol-gel method. The prepared samples were heat-treated and were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area analyzer. The prepared heat-treated F-BG samples were amorphous in nature, except F-BAG with 2.5 mol% fluoride which was glass-ceramic with few characteristic peaks of fluorapatite and teracalcium phosphate phases. High surface area of these prepared powders were observed, however, it was decreased with the increase in fluoride contents and particle size. A 6 month long fluoride release behavior was studied periodically in deionized water using an Ion Selective Electrode. Fluoride release was maximum with F-BG (7.5% mol.%), however, the insignificant difference was observed among samples. Initially, high pH value was exhibited by all samples, where highest pH was observed with BG and least with F-BAG (5 mol%). The resulting F-BG (5% mol.%) has potential to be used in dentifrices, restorative materials and for other dental applications.