| Summary: | This study focuses on organically modifying a layered calcium silicate with two types of organic functional groups to control chemical stability. Solvothermal processing was used to prepare organically modified layered calcium silicates with different contents of aminopropyl and phenyl groups. By-products of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes derived from organosilanes (Rn-SiO1.5n) were also formed in the sample powders upon preparation with a high initial fraction of phenyltriethoxysilane. The formation of layered calcium silicates modified with both organic groups was confirmed by X-ray diffractometry, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. The contents of these organic groups in the samples reflected the molar fractions of silanes in the starting materials. Although all samples readily released calcium and silicate ions into a buffer solution of pH = 7.4 after soaking for 24 h, the amounts of released silicate and calcium ions tended to decrease as the initial molar fraction of phenyl groups was increased up to 75 mol%. The chemical stability of the layered calcium silicates increased with the increase of the hydrophobic functional groups incorporated into their structure. These results indicate the potential for applying these modifications in biomaterials with tunable solubility for the purpose of bone reconstruction.
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