Development of metal-resin composite restorative material part 4 - Flexural strength and flexural modulus of metal-resin composite using Ag-In alloy particles as filler

The flexural strength and flexural modulus of an experimental metal-resin composite, which used Ag-In alloy particle as the filler, were evaluated. The effect of acid treatment and heat treatment on the Ag-In alloy particle was investigated. The flexural strength of the experimental metal-resin composites ranged from 65.5 MPa to 91.0 MPa. The flexural strength of the metal-resin composite increased with the temperature of the heat treatment until 350degreesC, but its effect varied with the concentrations of HCl of the acid treatment. A metal-resin composite, which used acid-treated and 350degreesC heat-treated Ag-In alloy fillers, matched the requirement of strength of ISO 4049. The average of flexural modulus of the experimental metal-resin composite was 9.1 GPa. The flexural modulus of the metal-resin composite did not vary with the treatment conditions of the metal filler. The flexural modulus of a metal-resin composite, which used Ag-In alloy particle as the filler, was lower than that of Ag-Sn alloy metal-resin composite, which was reported previously. However, the flexural strength of the Ag-In alloy metal-resin composite was similar to that of Ag-Sn alloy metal-resin composite. We can control a flexural modulus of a metal-resin composite without decreasing flexural strength by choosing filler materials.