An investigation of wear, mechanical, and water sorption/solubility behaviors of a commercial restorative composite containing nano-additives

Resin-based composites used in dentistry often possess undesirable characteristics. This study investigated the effect of two different nano-additive materials, namely aluminum oxide (Al2O3) and titanium dioxide (TiO2), on the mechanical, wear, and water sorption/ solubility behavior of a commercial restorative composite used in dental treatments (Nexcomp Flow A2). The results showed that dental materials containing the introduced nano-fillers have a higher wear resistance than their neat counterparts. Correspondingly, the average diametral tensile strength values were improved from a value of 14.6 MPa to values of 26.6 MPa and 50.8 MPa when reinforced with TiO2 and Al2O3, respectively. It has been found that there is a significant relationship between the improvements in wear resistance and tensile strength due to the addition of nano-additives. Further, the water sorption/solubility of the pure composite was lower by 60% after introducing 1% wt. Al2O3 and by more than 80% when 1%wt. TiO2 was the reinforcement additive. Scanning electron microscope images of the tested samples on worn and unworn surfaces showed that the nano-additives helped carry the load subjected to the surface. After introducing nano-additives into the matrix, surface degradation, which may occur due to water uptake, was suppressed.(c) 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).