Abstract
Gadolinium (III)-containing (1, 3 and 5 wt.%) silicate-based bioactive glass powders were synthesized by sol-gel method and subsequently die pressed to fabricate disc-shape glass samples. Sintering was performed at 690 degrees C for 1 h in air atmosphere. Physical, structural, and mechanical properties (compressive strength and Vickers hardness) of the fabricated glass pellets were investigated. Results showed that prepared glass samples were amorphous after sintering and any detrimental effect of Gd2O3 was not observed on the densification. An increase in bulk density and in compressive strength was obtained as the gadolinium (III) concentration was increased. On the other hand, a significant influence of the rare-earth element on the Vickers hardness was not seen. For the sample containing gadolinium (III) at highest concentration, Vickers hardness was measured to be 3.25 +/- 0.23 GPa. Our findings indicate that increasing the quantity of Gadolinium (III) significantly affects the gamma-ray attenuation qualities of bioactive glass samples. The addition of Gadolinium (III) improved the attenuation qualities of the bioactive glass samples across a broad energy range. As a result, it can be concluded that Gadolinium (III) and its monotonic effect may be used to modify the basic features of bioactive glass samples. In addition, it can be concluded that this monotonic effect may be employed to optimize the circumstances of use of associated bioactive materials based on their requirements in medical and engineering applications.