Influence of P 2 O 5 addition on glass structure and luminescent properties of Eu 3+ ions in SiO 2 –CaO particles of bioactive glass

Phosphorous compounds are essential for living organisms, specifically as building blocks for hard tissues such as bones. Therefore, it is an important (although not necessary) component of bioactive glass used in regenerative medicine. Hereby, the influence of PO_4^3 - on the properties of silica–calcia glass was studied. Europium(III) ions, as a luminescent probe, have been incorporated into bioactive glass hosts of both binary (SiO 2 –CaO) and ternary (SiO 2 –CaO–P 2 O 5 ) systems obtained via sol–gel technique. The fabricated glasses consisted of spherical particles with an average diameter close to 100 nm. The energy dispersive X-ray analysis confirmed the presence of silicon, calcium, phosphorous, and europium ions, although with different ratios than assumed during the synthesis process. The lower amount of calcium oxide was detected mainly in the silica–calcia composition (16 wt.