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Thiol-ene functionalized siloxanes for use as elastomeric dental impression materials.
Megan A Cole1, Katherine C Jankousky1, Christopher N Bowman2
1Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0596, USA.
Summary
New thiol-ene siloxane dental impression materials offer rapid setting times and superior detail reproduction compared to traditional polyvinylsiloxane (PVS) materials. These advanced formulations enhance accuracy for dental applications.
Area of Science:
- Polymer Chemistry
- Biomaterials Science
- Dental Materials
Background:
- Dental impression materials are crucial for accurate prosthodontic and restorative work.
- Current materials like polyvinylsiloxane (PVS) have limitations in setting speed and detail reproduction.
- Thiol-ene click chemistry offers potential for rapid polymerization and tunable properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize and evaluate thiol- and allyl-functionalized siloxane oligomers for dental impression applications.
- To investigate the effect of plasticizer and kaolin filler on mechanical properties and consistency.
- To compare the setting speed and detail reproduction of thiol-ene siloxane materials against commercial PVS materials.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of thiol- and allyl-functionalized siloxane oligomers.
- Formulation optimization with varying redox initiators, plasticizer, and kaolin filler.
- Characterization of polymerization kinetics (FTIR), consistency (ISO 4823), surface energy, mechanical properties (DMA), and feature replication (SEM).
Main Results:
- Thiol-ene siloxane formulations demonstrated rapid polymerization, with optimized formulations achieving a 3-min working time and 2-min setting time.
- These materials exhibited superior qualitative detail reproduction compared to commercial PVS.
- Micrometer-level patterns were reproduced with 98% accuracy, indicating high fidelity.
Conclusions:
- Thiol-ene siloxane systems represent a promising advancement in dental impression materials.
- They offer significant improvements in setting speed and detail reproduction, addressing key clinical needs.
- The tunable nature of thiol-ene chemistry allows for tailored material properties for specific dental applications.
