The Structure of Bioactive Glasses and Their Surfaces - Bio-Glasses: An Introduction - page 73

Thus, the slower dissolution of glasses with more than 60 mol% SiO 2
can be ascribed, in part at least, to their less hydrophilic nature, because
of the higher silica and lower sodium contents. This is in addition to the
effect of increasing network connectivity.
5.5 SUMMARY
In spite of their somewhat complex chemistry, the structure of bioactive
glasses and their surfaces can be largely understood using basic concepts
familiar to glass scientists, in terms of networks of tetrahedral coor-
dination units. The structural basis for bioactivity can be ascribed, at
least superficially, to the defect structural features and the distribution
of sodium and calcium cations on the surface.
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