Phase identification in dental porcelains for ceramo-metallic restorations

Most commercial dental porcelains designed for ceramo-metallic restorations are partially crystallized feldspathic glasses (glass-ceramics) that consist of low (tetragonal) leucite (K2O.Al2O3.4SiO2) crystals embedded in a glassy matrix. In this work, we have identified the crystalline phases in eight commercial dental porcelains (four enamels and four dentin bodies) in both powder (unfired) and sintered forms, by x-ray diffraction, emission spectroscopy analysis, reflection optical microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Besides low leucite and glass, we have found a second crystalline phase in the sintered and slow-cooled porcelains that we propose to be potash feldspar (K2O.Al2O3.6SiO2). It was impossible to ascertain whether these synthetic crystals may be sanidine, orthoclase, or microcline. The precipitation of feldspar during cooling is explained in terms of the crystallization behavior of typical body compositions in the ternary-phase diagram K2O-Al2O3-SiO2. Ceramography confirms the martensitic (displacive) nature of the transformation from high (cubic) to low (tetragonal) leucite upon cooling.