Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Ceramics International journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ceramint Hydration products and bioactivity of an experimental MTA-like cement modified with wollastonite and bioactive glass Abigailt Flores-Ledesma a,* , Adriana Tejeda-Cruz b , Lauro Bucio c , Ana María Wintergerst d , Jacqueline Adelina Rodríguez-Chávez e , Yoshamin Abnoba Moreno-Vargas c , Jesús Angel Arenas-Alatorre f,** a Facultad de Estomatología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, 31 Poniente #1304, Colonia Volcanes, Puebla, Puebla, C.P. 72410, Mexico b Laboratorio de Rayos X, Instituto de Investigaciones en Materiales, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito exterior S/N, Ciudad Universitaria, C.P. 04510, México DF, Mexico c Laboratorio de Cristalofísica y Materiales Naturales, Instituto de Física, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito de la Investigación Científica S/N, México DF, C.P. 04510, Mexico d División de Estudios de Posgrado e investigación, Facultad de Odontología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito de la Investigación Científica S/N, México DF, C.P. 04510, Mexico e Departamento de Clínicas Odontológicas Integrales, Centro Universitario de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Guadalajara, Salvador Quevedo y Zubieta 228 Edificio B, 2do piso, Col. Independencia Oriente, CP 44304, Guadalajara, Mexico f Laboratorio de Microscopia, Instituto de Física, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito de la Investigación Científica S/N, México DF, C.P. 04510, Mexico ARTICLE INFO Keywords: Biomedical application Apatite Spectroscopy Calcium silicate cements Bioactivity 1. Introduction Mineral trioxide aggregated (MTA) and calcium silicate cements, known as bioceramic cements [1–3], produce nucleation of hydro- xyapatite crystals when in contact with phosphate rich solutions [4–8]. MTA was developed by Torabinejad et al. [9] as a root-end filling material used in the endodontic field of dentistry. It consists of a hy- drophilic powder of fine particles which hardens in the presence of moisture and therefore MTA has been the best material for sealing perforations in root bi- and trifurcations [10–14]. It is also now used for other dental applications as apexification [15–18], pulp capping [19,20], pulpotomies [21–24] and for treatment in cases of root re- sorption [10]. MTA is composed of 80% Portland cement and 20% bismuth tri- oxide (Bi 2 O 3 ), which provides the radiopacity for an easy x-ray iden- tification [9,25]. As white Portland cement, white MTA presents the same mineral phases: tricalcium silicate (C3S), dicalcium silicate (C2S) and tricalcium aluminate (C3A) [26,27]. Gypsum or dehydrated calcium sulfate (CaSO 4 ·2H 2 O) is added to Portland cement to avoid the “flash set” of the clinker [28]. Some MTA cements may contain no gypsum content [29] or about half of the gypsum content as that in Portland Cement (3–6%) [30,31]. The MTA hydration process is complex and involves a series of si- multaneous chemical reactions: calcium silicates in contact with water produce calcium hydroxides (Portlandite) and hydrated calcium sili- cates (Tobermorite and tobermorite gel). Furthermore, tricalcium alu- minate when in contact with calcium sulfate forms sulfate-hydrated calcium aluminate, known as ettringite. This mineral continues forming until all sulfate ions are exhausted and then, the aluminate continues to react until ettringite changes to monosulfate [31–33]. Bioactive materials are defined as “materials that promote a specific response in the interface of the material and where it is placed, re- sulting in the formation of a chemical bond between the tissues and the material” [34]. A common feature of bioceramics and bioglasses is the ability to form a biologically active apatite layer that provides an in- terphase tissue bonding which is chemically and structurally equivalent https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2020.03.146 Received 22 September 2019; Received in revised form 31 January 2020; Accepted 13 March 2020 * Corresponding author. ** Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: dra_abyfl@hotmail.com (A. Flores-Ledesma), jarenas@fisica.unam.mx (J.A. Arenas-Alatorre). Ceramics International 46 (2020) 15963–15971 Available online 16 March 2020 0272-8842/ © 2020 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved. T