Friction-Induced PTFE Coating on Dental Restorative Resin with Ultralow Friction and Wear

Dental restorative materials often suffer from premature failure due to wear caused by oral activities, such as brushing and chewing, which remains a critical challenge in clinical practice. To address this issue, we developed a friction-induced PTFE coating (FIPC) technology that constructs transfer films by the friction of PTFE balls and applied it to a novel zirconia/silica (ZrO₂/SiO₂) gel filler-modified photocurable composite resin. Optical micrographs and Raman spectroscopy results demonstrate that FIPC can be prepared on-demand without damaging the substrate surface. Tribological tests and white light interferometry 3D topography analysis reveal that FIPC exhibits ultralow friction and wear, significantly reducing the coefficient of friction (COF). Particularly, the FIPC composite resin exhibited exceptional long-term lubrication stability, with COF values consistently maintained within 0.05-0.07. FIPC represents a viable technology for dental restorative materials and exhibits promising application prospects in other biomedical coating fields.