Bioactive glass preparation and use
A process of preparing a glass comprising: (a) heating a mixture of precursor chemicals to a melt temperature to form a melt, the melt being characterized in that quenching the melt at or above a threshold temperature results in a spinodal phase separation, and quenching the melt below the threshold temperature results in a droplet phase separation; and (b) quenching the melt at or above the threshold temperature in a preheated mold to form the glass composition having the spinodal phase separation.
1. A method of using a glass to promote bioactivity, said method comprising:
disposing said glass composition in a cellular environment, said glass having spinodal separation and being essentially free of pores; and
facilitating cellular attachment and proliferation on said glass composition.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said cellular attachment and/or proliferation is greater than that on glass having formed from the same mixture but with droplet phase separation or no phase separation.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said cellular environment is a body of an animal.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein said cellular environment is a human body.
5. The method of claim 3 , wherein facilitating cellular attachment comprises maintaining the life of the cells of said animal for an extended period of time.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein said animal is a human.