Bioactive ceramics: processing, structures and properties

There is an increasing need for bone repair materials for skeletal reconstruction, due to the prevalence of diseases such as osteoporosis and to the growing number of aged and overweight people Worldwide. Although used widely, there are limitations with autograft and allograft, including issues of supply and effectiveness, respectively. This has led to the need for more suitable synthetic biomaterials to replace natural bone, which can be nearly inert or bioactive. This review aims to discuss bioactive implants, coatings and scaffolds made of ceramics, glasses, glass–ceramics and composites. These are able to form a chemical interfacial bond with tissue and can be resorbable or non-resorbable.