Microstructural evaluation and thermal properties of sol-gel derived silica-titania based porous glasses

In recent years, the sol-gel synthesis of porous glasses has drawn widespread attention owing to the convenience and versatility of the sol-gel method. The sol-gel synthesis process mainly involves hydrolysis and condensation of precursors followed by drying and stabilization. In the present study, silica-titania (Si-Ti) based porous glasses with different compositions were synthesized using the sol-gel method. In general, the final properties of solgel derived glasses significantly depend on the characteristics such as pore structure, pore size, morphology and the compositions of the precursor materials. The influence of these processing parameters on the microstructural and thermal properties of Si-Ti based glasses has been investigated. The microstructures of the synthesized Si-Ti based porous glasses were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the thermal properties were evaluated using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and thermomechanical analysis (TMA). The main objective of the present study is to utilize these Si-Ti porous glasses as a potential biomaterial for bone tissue regeneration. Therefore, to understand this facet of Si-Ti porous glasses, it is essential to investigate their physical and microstructural properties.