Study of water sorption, solubility and modulus of elasticity of light-cured dimethacrylate-based dental resins

Polydimethacrylate resins were prepared by photopolymerization of Bis-GMA. TEGDMA, UDMA or Bis-EMA (4) monomer, initiated by camphoroquinone/N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate system. The study of physical properties of these resins showed that TEGDMA seems to create the most dense polymer network, which however is the most flexible (0.74 GPa), absorbs the highest amount of water (6.33 wt%) and releases the lowest amount of unreacted monomer (2.41 mug/mm(3)). UDMA and Bis-EMA (4) create more rigid networks, which absorb lower water and release higher unreacted monomer than TEGDMA. Bis-EMA (4) absorbs the lowest water amount (1.79wt%) and releases the highest amount of unreacted monomer (14.21 mug/mm(3)). Bis-GMA leads to the formation of the most rigid network (1.43GPa), which absorbs lower water than the resin made by TEGDMA but higher than the resin made by UDMA and Bis-EMA (4). Copolymers of Bis-GMA with the other monomers were also prepared, using various monomer combinations and molar ratios. Copolymers Bis-GMA/TEGDMA (50/50 and 70/30wt%) showed significantly higher values for Young's modulus (1.83 and 1.78 GPa) than those predicted by the linear dependence of the values on the copolymer composition. Gradual replacement of TEGDMA with UDMA or/and Bis-EMA (4) in copolymerization with BisGMA resulted in more flexible resins with lower water sorption and higher solubility values, depending on the TEGDMA content. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.