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PDMS-SiO2 hybrid materials obtained by sol-gel process have been extensively studied over the past years due to its promising biomedical applications namely as bone substitutes, catheters, and drug delivery devices. Regardless of the intended biomedical application, all these materials should go through a sterilization process before interfacing with a living structure. However, it is unclear whether they undergo structural and microstructural changes when subjected to sterilization by gamma irradiation. This paper addresses this issue by showing that a sol-gel processed biomaterial based on the PDMS-CaO-SiO2 hybrid system suffers only small structural changes when submitted to a radiation dose of 25 kGy, the dose usually recommended to achieve a Sterility Assurance Level of 10(-6) when the natural contamination level and microorganism types cannot be calculated. The characterization was assessed by FT-IR, Si-29-{H-1} CP-MAS, thermal analysis (DTG), and SEM. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The preparation of PDMS–TEOS–CaO hybrid materials by sol–gel techniques has been widely described in previous works. Calcium nitrate is the most common source of calcium used in these preparations. However, to remove possible toxic nitrate by-products a thermal treatment is necessary at temperatures above 500 °C, which leads to the degradation of the polymeric components of the hybrids. Strontium has already shown some promising results in the therapeutic area, being used in cases of osteoporosis and low bone density. In this study a new potential bioactive hybrid material was prepared, by sol–gel techniques, using calcium acetate as a novel calcium source. Also, for the first time, incorporation of strontium in a PDMS–TEOS hybrid system was evaluated. Samples were characterized before and after immersion in Kokubo's Simulated Body Fluid (SBF) by SEM, EDS, ICP and FT-IR spectroscopy.