Volume 20, Issue 1, 2011

LETTER: THE EFFECT OF CaSiO3 NANO-PARTICLES REINFORCED DENTURE POLYMETHYL METHACRYLATE

Chen Qian1, Xiu-Yin Zhang1*, Bang-Shang Zhu2, Kai-Li Lin 3, Jiang Chang3, Xin-Jing Zhang1

1 Department of dental prosthodontics, Ninth People’s Hospital, School of Medicine of Shanghai Jiao Tong University,
Shanghai, P. R. China
2 Instrumental Analysis Centre of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, P. R. China
3 Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, P. R. China

*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed:
E-mail: xyinzhang@yahoo.com.cn

Received 21 July 2010; accepted 29 July 2010

ABSTRACT
The preparation of CaSiO3–PMMA nanocomposite denture matrix was reported. We investigated the optimal amount of CaSiO3 nano-particles modified by silane coupling agent (Z-6030) on strengthen flexural strength and surface hardness (Knoop hardness) of the nano-CaSiO3/PMMA composite materials. The results indicated that the 1.5% CaSiO3 nano-particles could enable the nanocomposite to have the maximum flexural strength (90.50±4.86) MPa(increasing nearly 40% contrast to the blank group), while 2.0% CaSiO3 nano-particles made the nanocomposite to have a maximum Knoop hardness(24.59±0.98) MPa (augmenting with 24% compared with the blank group). Furthermore, the fracture surface was investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM), which revealed that the silane coupling agent (Z-6030) affected the dispersion of the CaSiO3 nano-particles in PMMA matrix, and the fracture surface of the 1.5% group is regular with obvious ductile dimple pattern demonstrating typical ductile fracture.
Keywords: CaSiO3 nano-particles; Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA); silane coupling agent; flexural strength; Knoop hardness