Improving the Mechanical Properties of Dental Fillings by Adding TiO2 NPs Prepared Laser Ablation

In this study, the pulsed laser ablation in liquid (PLAL) was employed to effectively produce titanium particles. A Nd-YAG laser operating at a wavelength of (1064 nm), an ablation energy of 1000 mJ, a frequency of (1 Hz), and varying pulse numbers (300, 600, and 900 pulse/sec) was utilized with the target submerged in deionized water. The aim of the research was to investigate the impact of these laser parameters on TiO2 and adding TiO2 NPs with dental fillings and study mechanical properties for fillings through a range of measurements, where the X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis indicated that the titanium dioxide structure exhibited a tetragonal polycrystalline cube form and was in the anatase phase. Subsequent field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) images revealed spherical and semi-spherical shapes with average diameters of (56.36, 41.04, and 26.1 nm), respectively, and the ultraviolet analysis detected absorption bands of nanoparticles at wavelengths of (294, 295, and 296 nm), with corresponding energy gaps of (3.41, 3.46, and 3.63 eV), respectively; additionally, a mixture including (3g) of conventional dental filling with TiO2 NPs was from a liquid volume of (10 mL), the results of the mechanical properties both prior to and following the inclusion of TiO2 NPs demonstrated an (8%) increase in compressive strength and a (7%) rise in hardness value. This suggest that TiO2 NPs have an impact on the mechanical properties and contribute to their improved efficacy.