Influence of N2 Partial Pressure of Zirconium Nitride by Magnetron Sputtering on the Bonding Strength of Titanium/Porcelain

The influence of zirconium nitride (ZrN) deposited by magnetron sputtering under different N-2 partial pressure on the bonding strength of titanium porcelain was investigated. 60 commercially pure cast titanium specimens were randomly subjected to 1 contrast group and 3 test groups, named Ta, Tb and Tc. All test groups were treated with ZrN deposited under different N2 partial pressure by magnetron sputtering (group Ta 1.0x10(-2) Pa, group Tb 5.0x10(-2) Pa and group Tc 10.0x10(-2) Pa). The pure titanium specimens were sintered after surface treatment. The compositions of the deposits were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). A universal testing machine was used to perform the three-point bending test to evaluate the bonding strength of Ti and porcelain. The microstructure of ZrN, the interface of Ti/porcelain and the fractured Ti surface were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and digital microscope. The XRD results prove that the ZrN deposits are cubic crystalline phases. The bonding strength of Ti and porcelain of each group are as following: group contrast (26.67 +/- 0.88) MPa, group Ta (49.41 +/- 0.55) MPa, group Tb (54.55 +/- 0.69) MPa and group Tc (46.24 +/- 0.53) MPa. Statistical differences were recorded (P<0.05). The results of SEM show that the Ti/porcelain interface of contrast group possesses pre-cracks, while samples of test group have better combinations. ZrN film deposited by magnetron sputtering can enhance Ti/porcelain bonding. ZrN films deposited under the N-2 partial pressure of 5.0x10(-2) Pa bring the highest Ti/porcelain bonding strength.