2026-09-21T19:24:31Zhttps://repository.unam.edu.na/server/oai/request

oai:repository.unam.edu.na:11070/39342025-02-08T22:00:57Zcom_11070_3326com_11070_3309com_11070_3304col_11070_180

Johnson, Oluwagbenga T. Angula, Linus Tshiimi 2025-02-03T06:43:44Z 2025-02-03T06:43:44Z 2024 http://hdl.handle.net/11070/3934 A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Metallurgical Engineering There is an ongoing effort to innovate engineering materials that are used in medical applications to support, enhance, or replace damaged tissue or perform a biological function. This study focuses on researching bioactive glass scaffolds resembling natural trabecular bone tissues that are widely used in medical applications. The research investigates the relationship between processing parameters and the resulting microstructures of borosilicate, borophosphate, and phosphate bioactive glass scaffolds. The study developed glass ceramics using traditional melt-quench methods; silicate composition S53B50 was processed at 1200 °C, while the P40B10 and Sr phosphate glasses were heated to 1100 °C. The sintering ability of the three types of glasses with a NaCl sacrificial pore-generating agent was achieved via spark plasma sintering technology at a rapid heat rate of 100 °C/min and temperatures ranging from 490- to 610- °C. The research work employed analytical techniques of thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), particle size analysis (PSD), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to gather data and characteristic results. It was observed that producing the glass ceramics by fritting the melts produced more desirable amorphous microstructures with less than 50% crystallization over casting and annealing. Also, the S53B50 scaffolds had the highest strength at 1.7 MPa and Sr glass had the most deformation at 1.62 mm. The findings are attributed to the partially crystallized microstructures, with indexes varying between 47 % and 58 %. Sintering increased scaffold density, compressive strength, and crystallinity while decreasing the porosity in this way demonstrating an ability to control scaffold properties for different applications through the sintering process. This research study contributes to the improvement of bioactive glass scaffolds and their potential applications in the clinical sciences of drug delivery systems en University of Namibia Bioactive glass scaffolds Medical Application University of Namibia Sintered porous Namibia Development and characterization of sintered porous bioactive glass scaffolds for medical application Thesisopen.access