We present a new high-performance configuration interaction code optimally designed for the calculation of the lowest energy eigenstates of a few electrons in semiconductor quantum dots (also called artificial atoms) in the strong interaction regime. The implementation relies on a singleparticle representation, but it is independent of the choice of the single-particle basis and, therefore, of the details of the device and configuration of external fields. Assuming no truncation of the Fock space of Slater determinants generated from the chosen single-particle basis, the code may tackle regimes where Coulomb interaction very effectively mixes many determinants. Typical strongly correlated systems lead to very large diagonalization problems; in our implementation, the secular equation is reduced to its minimal rank by exploiting the symmetry of the effective-mass interacting Hamiltonian, including square total spin. The resulting Hamiltonian is diagonalized via parallel implementation of the Lanczos algorithm. The code gives access to both wave functions and energies of first excited states. Excellent code scalability in a parallel environment is demonstrated; accuracy is tested for the case of up to eight electrons confined in a two-dimensional harmonic trap as the density is progressively diluted up to the Wigner regime, where correlations become dominant. Comparison with previous Quantum Monte Carlo simulations in the Wigner regime demonstrates power and flexibility of the method.

Calcium phosphates are among the most common biomaterials employed in orthopaedic and dental surgery. The efficacy of such systems as bone substitutes and bioactive coatings on metallic prostheses has been proved by several clinical studies. Among these materials, hydroxyapatite (HA) and tricalcium phosphate (TCP) play a prominent role in medical practice since the '80s. In the last years, numerous attempts to combine HA or TCP with bioactive glasses have been made. There are two main motivations for sintering calcium phosphates with a glassy phase: on the one hand, it is possible to tune the dissolution of the final system and to enhance its biological response through the synergistic combination of two bioactive phases; on the other hand, the glass acts as a sintering aid with the aim to increase the densification of the composite and thus its mechanical strength. In this sense, TCP and HA are penalized by their relatively poor fracture toughness and tensile strength compared to natural bone, which makes it impossible to use them in load-bearing applications. Moreover, the bioactivity index of pure calcium phosphates is typically lower with respect to that of many bioactive glasses. In this review, the state of the art and current applications of composites, based on HA or TCP with bioactive glass as second phase, are presented and discussed. A special emphasis is given to the processing and mechanical behaviour of these systems, together with their biological implications, as a function of the composition of the glass employed as second phase.

Bioactive glasses, discovered by Hench and co-workers at the end of the 1960s, are among the most promising biomaterials for bone repair and reconstruction, mainly thanks to their high bioactivity index. Unfortunately, due to their brittleness and relatively poor mechanical properties, their clinical applications are limited to non-load bearing implants. However, bioactive glasses can be successfully employed as coatings on bioinert metallic substrates, in order to combine high bioactivity with mechanical strength. After a brief introduction to the main properties of biomaterials and bioactive glasses, the present paper provides an overview of the different approaches and available techniques to realise bioactive glass coatings, with a particular emphasis on thermal spray, which is nowadays one of the most popular coating procedures.

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Since the 1970s, various types of ceramic, glass and glass-ceramic materials have been proposed and used to replace damaged bone in many clinical applications. Among them, hydroxyapatite (HA) has been successfully employed thanks to its excellent biocompatibility. On the other hand, the bioactivity of HA and its reactivity with bone can be improved through the addition of proper amounts of bioactive glasses, thus obtaining HA-based composites. Unfortunately, high temperature treatments (1200°C÷1300°C) are usually required in order to sinter these systems, causing the bioactive glass to crystallize into a glass-ceramic and hence inhibiting the bioactivity of the resulting composite. In the present study novel HA-based composites are realized and discussed. The samples can be sintered at a relatively low temperature (800 °C), thanks to the employment of a new glass (BG_Ca) with a reduced tendency to crystallize compared to the widely used 45S5 Bioglass®. The rich glassy phase, which can be preserved during the thermal treatment, has excellent effects in terms of in vitro bioactivity; moreover, compared to composites based on 45S5 Bioglass® having the same HA/glass proportions, the samples based on BG_Ca displayed an earlier response in terms of cell proliferation.

Bioglass® 45S5 is widely used in biomedical applications due to its ability to bond to bone and even to soft tissues. The sintering ability of Bioglass® powders is a key factor from a technological point of view, since its govern the production of advanced devices, ranging from highly porous scaffolds to functionalized coatings. Unfortunately this particular glass composition is prone to crystallize at the temperature required for sintering and this may impair the bioactivity of the original glass. For these reasons, a prerequisite to tailor the fabrication of Bioglass®-derived implants is to understand the interaction between sintering, crystallization and bioactivity. In this work the structural transformations which occur during the heat treatment of Bioglass® are reviewed and a special attention is paid to the sintering and crystallization processes. Moreover the bioactivity of the final glass-ceramics is discussed and some alternative glass formulations are reported

The use of bioactive glasses in dentistry, reconstructive surgery, and in the treatment of infections can be considered broadly beneficial based on the emerging literature about the potential bioactivity and biocompatibility of these materials, particularly with reference to Bioglass® 45S5, BonAlive® and 19-93B3 bioactive glasses. Several investigations have been performed (i) to obtain bioactive glasses in different forms, such as bulk materials, powders, composites, and porous scaffolds and (ii) to investigate their possible applications in the biomedical field. Although in vivo studies in animals provide us with an initial insight into the biological performance of these systems and represent an unavoidable phase to be performed before clinical trials, only clinical studies can demonstrate the behavior of these materials in the complex physiological human environment. This paper aims to carefully review the main published investigations dealing with clinical trials in order to better understand the performance of bioactive glasses, evaluate challenges, and provide an essential source of information for the tailoring of their design in future applications. Finally, the paper highlights the need for further research and for specific studies intended to assess the effect of some specific dissolution products from bioactive glasses, focusing on their osteogenic and angiogenic potential.