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Updated: Jul 30, 2025
High Temperature Fabrication of Nanostructured Yttria-Stabilized-Zirconia YSZ Scaffolds by In Situ Carbon Templating Xerogels
Published on: April 16, 2017
Development of Y-TZP/MWCNT-SiO2 nanocomposite for dental protheses
Lucas Hian da Silva1, Laura Ajamil Rinaldi1, Dolores Ribeiro Ricci Lazar2
1Department of Biomaterials and Oral Biology, Faculty of Dentistry, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Brazil.
This study synthesized a Y-TZP/MWCNT-SiO2 nanocomposite, finding it has satisfactory optical properties and comparable hardness and fracture toughness to conventional Y-TZP. However, its flexural strength was significantly lower, indicating a need to optimize synthesis methods to reduce porosities and agglomerates.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Composite Materials
Background:
- Yttria-stabilized zirconia (Y-TZP) is a widely used ceramic material.
- Incorporating multi-walled carbon nanotube-silica (MWCNT-SiO2) composites aims to enhance Y-TZP properties.
- Understanding the optical and mechanical trade-offs is crucial for advanced material development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize and characterize a Y-TZP/MWCNT-SiO2 nanocomposite.
- To compare the optical and mechanical properties of the nanocomposite with conventional Y-TZP.
- To identify synthesis-related challenges affecting material performance.
Main Methods:
- Co-precipitation and hydrothermal treatment were employed for nanocomposite synthesis.
- Uniaxial pressing was used to form specimens from the synthesized Y-TZP/MWCNT-SiO2 material.
- Characterization involved evaluating optical properties (color, contrast ratio) and mechanical properties (Vickers hardness, fracture toughness, flexural strength).
Main Results:
- The Y-TZP/MWCNT-SiO2 composite exhibited opaque white color with a contrast ratio of 0.9929.
- Vickers hardness and fracture toughness were comparable to conventional Y-TZP.
- Flexural strength of the nanocomposite (299.4 MPa) was significantly lower than conventional Y-TZP (623.7 MPa).
Conclusions:
- The synthesized Y-TZP/MWCNT-SiO2 nanocomposite shows promising optical characteristics.
- While hardness and fracture toughness are maintained, flexural strength is a critical limitation.
- Optimization of co-precipitation and hydrothermal methods is necessary to mitigate porosity and agglomeration, thereby improving flexural strength.
