Nowadays, yttria (Y
)-stabilized ZrO
(Y-TZP) is the most commonly used material in dental prosthetics. Y-TZP dental ceramics are mainly stabilized via the addition of 3 mol% yttrium oxide (Y
O
). ...These ceramics exhibit excellent mechanical properties, including high flexural strength, fracture toughness, elastic modulus, etc. Some manufacturers have recently introduced a new class of dental materials with multilayer composition with the aim of combining the advantages of adding more or less Y
O
to the ceramic composition in one Y-TZP material. The flexural strength values of multilayer Y-TZP may vary depending on the dimensions of the specimen, layer distributions, and especially the layer exposed on the maximum tension side, i.e., loading configuration. Although previous studies have examined the flexural strength of separate Y-TZP layers, capturing the flexural strength of multilayer Y-TZP is still challenging. However, one should keep in mind that multilayer flexural strength is important for clinical indications. The objective of this study is to compare the flexural strength of three distinct multilayer translucent Y-TZP materials made up of layers with different Y
contents. Rectangular samples (2 mm × 2 mm × 16 mm) were prepared from CAD/CAM discs using the milling machine Programill PM7 (Ivoclar Vivadent AG). Milled bars were tested for flexural strength in a three-point bending test (ISO 6872:2015) using a universal testing machine (Inspekt Duo 5kN; Hegewald & Peschke, Nossen, Germany) at a crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/min. Representative samples of each type of material were selected for quantitative and qualitative analysis of the microstructure. Representative samples of each type of material were selected for structural, mechanical, and microstructural analyses.
Na-V-P-Nb-based materials have gained substantial recognition as cathode materials in high-rate sodium-ion batteries due to their unique properties and compositions, comprising both alkali and ...transition metal ions, which allow them to exhibit a mixed ionic–polaronic conduction mechanism. In this study, the impact of introducing two transition metal oxides, V2O5 and Nb2O5, on the thermal, (micro)structural, and electrical properties of the 35Na2O-25V2O5-(40 − x)P2O5 − xNb2O5 system is examined. The starting glass shows the highest values of DC conductivity, σDC, reaching 1.45 × 10−8 Ω−1 cm−1 at 303 K, along with a glass transition temperature, Tg, of 371 °C. The incorporation of Nb2O5 influences both σDC and Tg, resulting in non-linear trends, with the lowest values observed for the glass with x = 20 mol%. Electron paramagnetic resonance measurements and vibrational spectroscopy results suggest that the observed non-monotonic trend in σDC arises from a diminishing contribution of polaronic conductivity due to the decrease in the relative number of V4+ ions and the introduction of Nb2O5, which disrupts the predominantly mixed vanadate–phosphate network within the starting glasses, consequently impeding polaronic transport. The mechanism of electrical transport is investigated using the model-free Summerfield scaling procedure, revealing the presence of mixed ionic–polaronic conductivity in glasses where x < 10 mol%, whereas for x ≥ 10 mol%, the ionic conductivity mechanism becomes prominent. To assess the impact of the V2O5 content on the electrical transport mechanism, a comparative analysis of two analogue series with varying V2O5 content (10 and 25 mol%) is conducted to evaluate the extent of its polaronic contribution.
The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of different glass fibers made of commercial silicate, borosilicate, and laboratory-made iron–phosphate compositions, on the preparation of ...polylactic acid (PLA) composites and their structural and physical properties. The thermal, structural, and electrical properties of prepared PLA–glass fiber composites were studied using differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, microscopy, and impedance spectroscopy. The structural as well as morphological, thermal, and electrical properties of all PLA–glass composites were found to be very similar and independent of the composition and aspect ratio of glass fibers. All types of glass fibers improve mechanical properties, increase thermal stability, and decrease the electrical conductivity of PLA, thereby producing mechanical strong electrically insulating composite material with potential in various applications.
Over the last decade, zirconia (ZrO2)-based ceramic materials have become more applicable to modern dental medicine due to the sustained development of diverse computer-aided design/computer-aided ...manufacturing (CAD/CAM) systems. However, before the cementation and clinical application, the freshly prepared zirconia material (e.g., crowns) has to be processed by sandblasting in the dental laboratory. In this work, the impact of the sandblasting on the zirconia is monitored as changes in morphology (i.e., grains and cracks), and the presence of impurities might result in a poor adhesive bonding with cement. The sandblasting is conducted by using Al2O3 powder (25, 50, 110 and 125 µm) under various amounts of air-abrasion pressure (0.1, 0.2, 0.4 and 0.6 MPa). There has been much interest in both the determination of the impact of the sandblasting on the zirconia phase transformations and conductivity. Morphology changes are observed by using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), the conductivity is measured by Impedance Spectroscopy (IS), and the phase transformation is observed by using Powder X-Ray Diffraction (PXRD). The results imply that even the application of the lowest amount of air-abrasion pressure and the smallest Al2O3 powder size yields a morphology change, a phase transformation and a material contamination.
Zirconia (ZrO2), a widely known material with an extensive range of applications, is especially suitable for dental applications. This kind of dental material is produced in the form of blocks or ...discs (mostly discs—depending on CAD/CAM machines) by cold isostatic pressing (CIP). Such discs are subsequently milled by CAM/CAD technology into a desirable form. Due to the application of CIP, the resulting discs consist of different yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (Y-TZP) powders, additives and pigments. The diverse composition of the discs (e.g., different Y3+ content) governs material properties, such as hardness, toughness and translucence. The aim of this work was to investigate the impact of Y3+ addition on the grains and grain boundaries, on the ZrO2 phases lattice parameter values and on the electrical equivalent circuit parameters of the prepared Y-TZP samples. The disc-shaped samples were prepared by using CAM/CAD technology. It was observed that the grain size and the grain density were increased by Y3+ addition. The sample with the lowest Y3+ content was characterized by the highest portion of the tetragonal phase, whilst the disc with the highest Y3+ addition consisted mainly of the cubic phase. It was also observed that at the higher Y3+ ion concentrations, these ions mainly incorporated the tetragonal phase. Furthermore, conductivity investigations showed that the resistivity of the grains in the samples with the higher Y3+ concentrations was decreased as these ions were mainly trapped in the grain boundary. On the other hand, the Y3+ trapping increased the capacitance of the grain boundary.
In this study, two different dental ceramics, based on zirconia-reinforced lithium-silicate (LS1) glass-ceramics (Celtra Duo, Dentsply Sirona, Bensheim, Germany) and lithium disilicate (LS2) ceramics ...(IPS e.max CAD, Ivoclar, Vivadent, Schaan, Liechtenstein) were examined. They were tested prior to and after the crystallization by sintering in the dental furnace. Additionally, the impact of ageing on ceramic degradability was investigated by immersing it in 4% acetic acid at 80 °C for 16 h. The degradability of the materials was monitored by Impedance Spectroscopy (IS), X-Ray Powder Diffraction (XRPD), and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FE-SEM) techniques. It was detected that LS2 (vs. LS1) samples had a lower conductivity, which can be explained by reduced portions of structural defects. XRPD analyses also showed that the ageing increased the portion of defects in ceramics, which facilitated the ion diffusion and degradation of samples. To summarize, this study suggests that the non-destructive IS technique can be employed to probe the ageing properties of the investigated LS1 and LS2 ceramics materials.
BackgroundThe dental ceramic materials are constantly being developed due to their continuous clinical application in the field of esthetic dentistry. Glass ceramics (GC) materials are also of ...special interest for dental application due to their specific properties; and thus, they can be applied as crowns, veneers and small bridges. PurposeHowever, due to a variety of different GC materials, it is of keen interest to inspect their morphology and ion-diffusion, which also governs aging properties. Material and methodsIn this study, two different GC materials were processed, i.e., lithium silicate (LS-10) and lithium disilicate (LS-20). The aforementioned properties can be inspected by using impedance spectroscopy (IS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). ResultsSEM study suggested that LS-10 material is harder to mechanically process by computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) technology. Furthermore, IS measurements showed that LS-20 (vs. LS-10) has more pronounced resistance properties. ConclusionAccording to IS data, it was concluded that LS-20 (vs. LS-10) has more pronounced resistance properties that point out to hindered ion-diffusion and to better aging properties.
A novel one-dimensional (1D) oxalate-bridged coordination polymer of iron(III), {NH(CH3)(C2H5)2FeCl2(C2O4)}n (1), exhibits remarkable humidity-sensing properties and very high proton conductivity at ...room temperature (2.70 × 10−4 (Ω·cm)−1 at 298 K under 93% relative humidity), in addition to the independent antiferromagnetic spin chains of iron(III) ions bridged by oxalate groups (J = −7.58(9) cm−1). Moreover, the time-dependent measurements show that 1 could maintain a stable proton conductivity for at least 12 h. Charge transport and magnetic properties were investigated by impedance spectroscopy and magnetization measurements, respectively. Compound 1 consists of infinite anionic zig-zag chains FeCl2(C2O4)nn− and interposed diethylmethylammonium cations (C2H5)2(CH3)NH+, which act as hydrogen bond donors toward carbonyl oxygen atoms. Extraordinarily, the studied coordination polymer exhibits two reversible phase transitions: from the high-temperature phase HT to the mid-temperature phase MT at T ~213 K and from the mid-temperature phase MT to the low-temperature phase LT at T ~120 K, as revealed by in situ powder and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. All three polymorphs show large linear thermal expansion coefficients.
Chitosan scaffolds are an effective biologically active material with versatile application in chemistry and medicine. Chitosan is a linear polysaccharide, a derivative of chitin, with great ...biocompatibility due to the possession of functional groups such as −OH and −NH2, which allow for biodegradability and antibacterial function. Chitosan has a polycation nature allowing complex formation with metal ions and many biomolecules such as DNA, proteins and lipids, while its specific structure and functional groups are responsible for antibacterial, hemostatic, and analgesic properties. To improve its angiogenic and antimicrobial potential, chitosan can be modified by boron (borate ions). The aim of this work was to prepare boric acid modified chitosan scaffolds, using boric acid as a boron precursor, as potential bioactive scaffolds for tissue regeneration. Borate ions tend to form complexes with hydroxyl groups, however, such physical interactions between boron and chitosan functional groups result in poor encapsulation efficiency. To ensure higher boron incorporation, chitosan scaffolds were cross-linked by genipin, a cross linker with lower cytotoxicity in contrast to glutaraldehyde commonly used to prepare stable chitosan-based materials. The degree of deacetylation (DD) and concentration of chitosan solution as well as the concentration of a solvent are important parameters that affect the crosslinking process. Moreover, the addition of boric acid could interfere with the crosslinking process by occupying chitosan functional groups. Here, chitosan scaffolds were modified with different concentrations of boric acid, while the concentrations of chitosan solution (1.2 w/v), genipin (2 % w/w), and acetic acid (0.5 % v/v) were kept constant. Obtained scaffolds were characterised by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), while cytotoxicity was evaluated as a function of materials concentration and exposure time. The results indicated successful incorporation of boron into cross-linked chitosan scaffolds with highly porous structure and low cytotoxicity.
A series of glass-ceramics were prepared by heat-treatments of 40Na2O-30MoO3-30P2O5 (in mol%) glass in a temperature range from 380 (Tg) to 490 °C (Tc) and for 1–24 h. The prepared glass-ceramics ...contain from 2 to 25 wt.% of crystalline NaMoO2PO4. The sodium-ion conductivity in these materials decreases up to one order of magnitude with an increase in the degree of crystallization due to the immobilization of sodium ions in crystalline NaMoO2PO4. The transport of sodium ions in these materials occurs primarily through the dominant continuous glassy phase, and it is weakly affected by the sporadically distributed crystalline grains. However, the prepared glass-ceramics exhibit high proton conductivity in a humid atmosphere and remarkable humidity-sensing properties; this could be related to crystalline NaMoO2PO4, which provides sites for water adsorption. The glass-ceramic prepared at 450 °C for 24 h shows the best humidity-sensing performance among all samples, showing an increase in proton conductivity for more than seven orders of magnitude with the increase in relative humidity from 0% to 95%. Under a highly humid atmosphere (95% relative humidity and 25 °C), the proton conductivity of this glass-ceramic reaches 5.2 × 10−3 (Ω cm)−1. Moreover, the electrical response of these materials on the change in the relative humidity is linear and reversible in the entire range of the relative humidity, which indicates that they are novel promising candidates for application as humidity sensors.