Effect of filler content and size to properties of composite resins on microwave curing

The effect of filler content and size to property of composite resin using high purity spherical silica particles on microwave curing was examined by mechanical means and electron microscope observation to develop microwave-curing composite resin inlay. Increasing filler content in three kinds of filler particles (0.45, 0.96 and 1.46 mu m) resulted in increasing compressive strength, diametral tensile strength and knoop hardness and indicated the highest values at the operative mixing limit. The effect of particle size was that the mechanical property of the 0.96 mu m filled resin was highest, followed by 1.46 mu m and 0.45 mu m on the same filler content. The 0.96 mu m filled resin had about the same knoop hardness on both surfaces of the cured sample, which means that uniform polymerization occurred in the cured sample. With electron microscope observation, the bubbles of about 1.0 mu m and the cracks between the fillers and the matrix were observed in each cured resin. This is caused by the excessive absorption of microwave energy in fillers and surface treatment materials of fillers. Therefore, improvement of the composition of filler and surface treatment material of filler are needed, which makes it harder to absorb the microwave energy. (C) 1999 Kluwer Academic Publishers.