Exploring the potential of strontium oxide-enriched borate bioactive glass as a bone graft material: Comprehensive analysis of physical characteristics and gamma shielding properties

This study explores the physical, elastic, and radiation shielding properties of SrO–B2O3 -based bioactive glass systems. The interest in BAG has grown significantly in recent years due to their applications in biomedicine, including bone transplants, wound care, and dental treatments. Borate-based glass matrices have emerged as a promising alternative to silicate-based BAG, exhibiting faster conversion to hydroxyapatite (HA) in physiological fluids and promoting cell proliferation for bone healing. The procedure known as melt quenching is used to prepare the glasses. The effects of varying SrO content on the glass properties were evaluated to understand their potential applications in the field of radiation shielding. Experimental results were compared with theoretical models, including the Makishima, Mackenzie, and Rocherulle models, to determine the most appropriate model for analyzing the elastic properties. The Rocherulle model was found to be in better agreement with experimental results. It was observed that the elastic modulus increased with increasing SrO content, suggesting improved mechanical strength due to higher cross-link density in the glass network. Furthermore, the glasses exhibited low Poisson’s ratio values, indicating increased resistance to deformation under stress. The Phy-X program was used to determine the mass attenuation coefficient (GMAC), which is the fundamental parameter for evaluating the interaction of radiation with shielding materials. The GMAC results increase as the amount of SrO is increased from 0 to 6 wt%. In addition, the findings demonstrated that the effective atomic number (Zeff) of the produced glasses rise when the amount of SrO is increased from 0 to 6 wt%. The comprehensive analysis of physical, elastic, and radiation shielding properties provides valuable insights into the optimization of glass systems for specific applications in industries that require mechanical strength and radiation protection.