Silanised Fluoride Hydrotalcites as Functional and Multicomponent Fillers for Dental Composites

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Acrylic resin composites are widely used, but enhancing their properties like mechanical strength and fluoride release remains a challenge.
• Incorporating functional fillers can improve composite performance, but achieving good interfacial compatibility is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel fluoride-releasing filler for acrylic resins.
• To enhance the polymerisation degree and interfacial properties of acrylic resin composites.
• To investigate the fluoride release characteristics of the developed composite filler.

Main Methods:

• Preparation of fluoride-containing hydrotalcite (HTlc/F) functionalized with tetraethoxysilane.
• Formation of silica nanoparticles on the functionalized hydrotalcite, creating SiO2@HTlc/F.
• Surface functionalization of the composite filler with methacrylate groups.
• Incorporation of the functionalized filler into acrylic resins and evaluation of polymerisation degree and fluoride release.

Main Results:

• A novel SiO2@HTlc/F filler was successfully synthesized and functionalized with methacrylate groups.
• The functionalized filler integrated well into the acrylic resin, forming chemical bonds at the interface.
• The filler significantly increased the degree of polymerisation of the acrylic resin, approaching 100%.
• Preliminary studies indicated a slow and sustained release of fluoride anions from the composite.

Conclusions:

• The developed SiO2@HTlc/F filler effectively enhances acrylic resin properties.
• The functionalization strategy promotes interfacial compatibility and high polymerisation.
• The composite shows potential for applications requiring slow fluoride release.