Influence of electron beam irradiation on the alloy-to-resin bond strength

The aim of this study was to investigate whether postcuring using electron beam irradiation had an effect on the bond strength of resin-to-base-metal after priming their surfaces using silicoating methods or functional monomers. Composite cylinders were bonded on a restricted area of 5 mm2 to flat rectangular titanium and cobalt-chromium specimens. Under investigation were the silicoating system Rocatec, the thiol-phosphate system Metal Primer II and the phosphate ester SR Link. Tensile strength and shear bond strength were determined for the three test groups in each case: (i) after 24 h, (ii) after electron beam irradiation (100 kGy), and (iii) after irradiation (100 kGy) + 12,000 cycles of thermal cycling (5 degrees /55 degrees C). The bond strength was highly affected by irradiation and the metal priming method used. However, the tribochemical silicoating method and phosphate-ester group showed no significant statistical change in bond strength. Only the thiol-phosphate system showed considerably higher tensile and shear bond strengths after irradiation. Thermal cycling did not deteriorate this bond and there was a tendency for higher bond strength on titanium. As a result it was determined that thiol-phosphate primers in combination with postcuring using electron beam irradiation can considerably improve the bond strength between resins and titanium or cobalt-chromium alloys.