Fabrication of Interconnected Nano-Macro Porous Glass by the Melt-Quench-Heat-Etch Method

Lehigh University has developed a superior method for creating nano-macro porous glass. The method uses sucrose as a macro pore former and dissolving sucrose phase in water at room temperature for large scale nano-porosity (100-300 nm) for virus separation. It exploits the advantages of the conventional meltquench processing, as well as allows for the introduction of controlled porosity without significant cracking. This newly demonstrated ''melt-quench-heat-etch method'' results in an interconnected porous glass, which is structurally stronger than the ones prepared by other methods. The technology is optimized for enhanced bone regeneration performance by providing stronger and faster bonding between glass and bone.

Lehigh Tech ID#011807-01

THE MARKET

While tissue scaffold engineering for bone and cartilage repair may not be a new development, there is still an immediate window of opportunity for such technologies. This is due not only to the size of the global bone replacement material market, which is around $2B as of 2010, but also due to the aging baby-boomer population and the need for more innovative and effective bone replacement and grafting techniques. [1]