title: PDMS-SiO2-TiO2-CaO hybrid materials - Cytocompatibility and nanoscale surface features.
abstract: Two PDMS-SiO2-TiO2-CaO porous hybrid materials were prepared using the same base composition, precursors, and solvents, but following two different sol-gel procedures, based on the authors' previous works where for the first time, in this hybrid system, calcium acetate was used as calcium source. The two different procedures resulted in monolithic materials with different structures, microstructures, and surface wettability. Even though both are highly hydrophobic (contact angles of 127.2° and 150.6°), and present different filling regimes due to different surface topographies, they have demonstrated to be cytocompatible when tested with human osteoblastic cells, against the accepted idea that high-hydrophobic surfaces are not suitable to cell adhesion and proliferation. At the nanoscale, the existence of hydrophilic silica domains containing calcium, where water molecules are physisorbed, is assumed to support this capability, as discussed.
authors.affiliation: CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials, Department of Materials and Ceramic Engineering, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
authors.forename: J Carlos
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Almeida
authors.affiliation: Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Magyar Tudósok körútja 2, Budapest 1117, Hungary.
authors.forename: András
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wacha
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Bone Metabolism and Regeneration, Faculdade de Medicina Dentária, Universidade do Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Pedro S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Gomes
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Bone Metabolism and Regeneration, Faculdade de Medicina Dentária, Universidade do Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: M Helena R
authors.initials: MHR
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.affiliation: CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials, Department of Materials and Ceramic Engineering, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
authors.forename: M Helena Vaz
authors.initials: MHV
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.affiliation: CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials, Department of Materials and Ceramic Engineering, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal. Electronic address: isabelmsalvado@ua.pt.
authors.forename: Isabel M Miranda
authors.initials: IMM
authors.lastname: Salvado
mesh_terms: D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D017610:Calcium Compounds / Q000737:chemistry; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D002460:Cell Line; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D004129:Dimethylpolysiloxanes / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D010006:Osteoblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D010087:Oxides / Q000737:chemistry; D016062:Porosity; D012822:Silicon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry; D014025:Titanium / Q000737:chemistry; D017155:Wettability
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D017610:Calcium Compounds; D004129:Dimethylpolysiloxanes; D010087:Oxides; C009495:titanium dioxide; C013830:baysilon; D012822:Silicon Dioxide; C016538:lime; D014025:Titanium
keywords: Bone; Cytocompatibility; Hybrid materials; Hydrophobicity; Sol-gel