Influence of the polymer amount on bioactivity and biocompatibility of SiO2/PEG hybrid materials synthesized by sol–gel technique

SiO2/PEG organic–inorganic hybrid materials, which differ in polyethylene glycol (PEG) content, were synthesized by sol–gel technique and the characterization of their structure and biological properties was carried out in order to evaluate the possible use in biomedical field. FT-IR spectroscopy detected that the two components of the hybrids (SiO2 and PEG) are linked by hydrogen bonds between the Si–OH groups of the inorganic phase and the terminal alcoholic groups and/or the ethereal oxygen atoms in the repeating units of polymer. X-ray diffraction analysis ascertained the amorphous nature of the gels and the observation of their morphology by SEM microscopy confirmed that the interpenetration of the two phases (organic and inorganic) occurs on nanometric scale. The biological characterization was carried out as a function of the polymer amount to study its influence on material behavior. The results showed that the synthesized materials were bioactive and biocompatible. The formation of a hydroxyapatite layer, indeed, was observed on their surface by SEM/EDX analysis after soaking in simulated body fluid. Moreover, the biocompatibility of SiO2/PEG hybrids was assessed performing MTT and SRB cytotoxicity tests on fibroblast cell NIH 3T3 after 24 and 48h of exposure, as well as Trypan Blue dye exclusion test. The response to the presence of the investigated materials was positive. The cell growth and proliferation showed dependence on polymer amount and time of exposure to the material extracts. Therefore, the obtained results are encouraging for the use of the obtained hybrids in dental or orthopedic applications. •SiO2/PEG hybrid biomaterials synthesized by sol–gel method at various PEG percentages•Chemical and morphological characterization of hybrid materials•Chemical interactions between inorganic and organic components•Biological characterizations with MTT and SRB cytotoxicity tests•Biocompatibility improvement with high PEG percentage in hybrid materials