Conversion Degree of Indirect Resin Composites and Effect of Thermocycling on Their Physical Properties

Purpose: This study evaluated the degree of conversion (DC) of four indirect resin composites (IRCs) with various compositions processed in different polymerization units and investigated the effect of thermal aging on the flexural strength and Vicker's microhardness.Materials and Methods: Specimens were prepared from four IRC materials, namely Gr 1: Resilab (Wilcos); Gr2: Sinfony (3M ESPE); Gr3: VITA VMLC (VITA Zahnfabrik); Gr4: VITA Zeta (VITA Zahnfabrik) using special molds for flexural strength test (N = 80, n = 10 per group) (25 x 2 x 2 mm(3), ISO 4049), for Vicker's microhardness test (N = 80, n = 10 per group) (5 x 4 mm(2)) and for DC (N = 10) using FT-Raman Spectroscopy. For both flexural strength and microhardness tests, half of the specimens were randomly stored in distilled water at 37 degrees C for 24 hours (Groups 1 to 4), and the other half (Groups 5 to 8) were subjected to thermocycling (5000 cycles, 5 to 55 +/- 1 degrees C, dwell time: 30 seconds). Flexural strength was measured in a universal testing machine (crosshead speed: 0.8 mm/min). Microhardness test was performed at 50 g. The data were analyzed using one-way and two-way ANOVA and Tukey's test (alpha = 0.05). The correlation between flexural strength and microhardness was evaluated with Pearson's correlation test (alpha = 0.05).Results: A significant effect for the type of IRC and thermocycling was found (p = 0.001, p = 0.001) on the flexural strength results, but thermocycling did not significantly affect the microhardness results (p = 0.078). The interaction factors were significant for both flexural strength and microhardness parameters (p = 0.001 and 0.002, respectively). Thermocycling decreased the flexural strength of the three IRCs tested significantly (p < 0.05), except for VITA Zeta (106.3 +/- 9.1 to 97.2 +/- 14 MPa) (p > 0.05) when compared with nonthermocycled groups. Microhardness results of only Sinfony were significantly affected by thermocycling (25.1 +/- 2.1 to 31 +/- 3.3 Kg/mm(2)). DC values ranged between 63% and 81%, and were not significantly different between the IRCs (p > 0.05). While a positive correlation was found between flexural strength and microhardness without (r = 0.309) and with thermocycling (r = 0.100) for VITA VMLC, negative correlations were found for Resilab under the same conditions (r = -0.190 and -0.305, respectively) (Pearson's correlation coefficient).Conclusion: Although all four IRCs presented nonsignificant DC values, flexural strength and microhardness values varied between materials with and without thermocycling.

The effect of cooling rate during hydrothermal synthesis of ZnO nanorods

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Effect of oxidizing atmosphere on ferroelectric and piezoelectric response of CaBi2Nb2O9 thin films

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Phase transition in poly(vinylidene fluoride) investigated with micro-Raman spectroscopy

The phase transition from the non-polar a-phase to the polar beta-phase of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) has been investigated using micro-Raman spectroscopy, which is advantageous because it is a nondestructive technique. Films of alpha-PVDF were subjected to stretching under controlled rates at 80 degrees C, while the transition to P-PVDF was monitored by the decrease in the Raman band at 794 cm(-1) characteristic of the a-phase, along with the concomitant increase in the 839 cm-1 band characteristic of the P-phase. The alpha ->beta transition in our PVDF samples could be achieved even for the sample stretched to twice (2 X -stretched) the initial length and it did not depend on the stretching rate in the range between 2.0 and 7.0 mm/min. These conclusions were corroborated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction experiments for PVDF samples processed under the same conditions as in the Raman scattering measurements. Poling with negative corona discharge was found to affect the a-PVDF morphology, improving the Raman bands related to this crystalline phase. This effect is minimized for films stretched to higher ratios. Significantly, corona-induced effects could not be observed with the other experimental techniques, i.e., X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy.

Effect of salt nature on structure and ionic conductivity of sodium-doped siloxane-PPO ormolytes

Siloxane-polyoxypropylene (PPO) hybrids obtained by the sol-gel process and containing short polymer chain have been doped with different sodium salts NaX (X = ClO4, BF4 or I). The effect of the counter-ion (X) on the chemical environment of the sodium ions and on the ionic conductivity of these hybrids was investigated by Na-23 NMR, small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), complex impedance, Raman spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Results reveal that the different sodium salts have essentially the same effect on the nanoscopic structure of the hybrids. The formation of immobile Na+ cations involved in NaCl-like species could be minimized by using a low amount of HCl as hydrolytic catalyst. The differences in the ionic conductivity of hybrids doped with different sodium salts were correlated with the proportion of Na ions solvated by ether-type oxygen of the polymeric chains and by the carboxyl oxygen located in the urea groups of the PPO chain extremities. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Luminescence effect in amorphous PLT

Amorphous and crystalline powder of PLT phase was synthesized by using the Pechini method. Infrared (FTIR) analysis of the polymeric resin shows intense bands of organic materials from 250 to 1620 cm(-1). X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectra of calcined powder at different temperatures show amorphous phase at 450 degrees C/3 h, semi-crystalline phase at 550 degrees C/3 h and a crystalline phase at 800 degrees C/3 h. Luminescence effect was observed in amorphous powder calcined from 300 to 350 degrees/3 h with broad absorption peaks in 579 nm at 300 degrees C/3 h and 603 rum at 350 degrees C/3 h, respectively. The photoluminescence effect is attributed to emissions of Ti -> 0 directly from the oxygen 2p orbital (valence band) to the titanate 3d orbital (conduction bands). (c) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of Different Solvent Ratios (Water/Ethylene Glycol) on the Growth Process of CaMoO4 Crystals and Their Optical Properties

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Effect of the order and disorder of BaMoO4 powders in photoluminescent properties

The study of the photoluminescent properties affected by order and disorder of the BaMoO4 powders is the principal objective in this work. BaMoO4 compounds were prepared using soft chemical process called Complex Polymerization Method. In this work, different deagglomeration types and different heating rates were used to promote different disorder degrees. Scheelite type phase (BaMoO4) was determined by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transformed Infra-Red (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy after heat treating the sample at 400 degrees C. The room temperature luminescence spectra revealed an intense single-emission band in the visible region. Based on XRD and Raman data it was observed that the transition between the completely disordered structure to completely ordered structure is a good condition for photoluminescence (PL) emission. The best PL emission is obtained when the material possesses short range disorder, i.e., is periodically ordered (XRD), but some disorder as measured by Raman spectroscopy. The excellent optical properties observed for disordered BaMoO4 suggested that this material is a highly promising candidate for optical applications.

Study of the annealing temperature effect on the structural and luminescent properties of SrWO4:Eu phosphors prepared by a non-hydrolytic sol-gel process

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Europium(III) Concentration Effect on the Spectroscopic and Photoluminescent Properties of BaMoO4:Eu

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Effect of light energy density on conversion degree and hardness of dual-cured resin cement

This study evaluated the effect of different light energy densities on conversion degree (CD) and Knoop hardness number (KHN) of RelyX ARC (RLX) resin cement. After manipulation according to the manufacturer's instructions, RLX was inserted into a rubber mold (0.8 mm X 5 mm) and covered with a Mylar strip. The tip of the lightcuring unit (LCU) was positioned in contact with the Mylar surface. Quartz-tungsten-halogen (QTH) and light-emitting diode (LED) LCUs with light densities of 10, 20 and 30 J/cm2 were used to light-cure the specimens. After light curing, the specimens were stored dry in lightproof containers at 37°C. After 24 hours, the CD was analyzed by FT-Raman and, after an additional 24-hours, samples were submitted to Knoop hardness testing. The data of the CD (%) and KHN were submitted to two-way ANOVA and the Tukey's test (α=0.05). QTH and LED were effective light curing units. For QTH, there were no differences among the light energy densities for CD or KHN. For LED, there was a significant reduction in CD with the light energy density set at 10 J/cm2. KHN was not influenced by the lightcuring unit and by its light energy density. © Operative Dentistry.

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) applied to cancer diagnosis and detection of pesticides, explosives, and drugs

The inelastic scattering of light, Raman scattering, presents a very low cross section. However, the signal can be amplified by several orders of magnitude, leading to the so-called surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) phenomenon. Basically, the SERS effect is achieved when the target molecule (analyte) is adsorbed onto metallic nanoparticles, usually noble metals. This article presents an overview of the applications of SERS to cancer diagnosis and the detection of pesticides, explosives, and drugs (illicit and pharmacological). SERS is routinely applied nowadays to detect and identify analytes at very low concentrations, including for single-molecule detection. However, the application of SERS as an analytical tool requires reliable and reproducible SERS substrates, in terms of enhancement factors, which depends on the size, shape, and aggregation of the metallic nanoparticles. Therefore, the production of reliable and reproducible SERS substrates is a challenge in the field. Besides, the metallic nanoparticles can also induce changes in the system by possible interactions with the analyte under investigation, which must be taken into account. This review will present work in which, under certain specific experimental conditions, SERS has been analytically applied.

Effect of air-particle abrasion protocols on the biaxial flexural strength, surface characteristics and phase transformation of zirconia after cyclic loading

This study evaluated the effect of air-particle abrasion protocols on the biaxial flexural strength, surface characteristics and phase transformation of zirconia after cyclic loading. Disc-shaped zirconia specimens (Ø: 15mm, thickness: 1.2mm) (N=32) were submitted to one of the air-particle abrasion protocols (n=8 per group): (a) 50μm Al2O3 particles, (b) 110μm Al2O3 particles coated with silica (Rocatec Plus), (c) 30μm Al2O3 particles coated with silica (CoJet Sand) for 20s at 2.8bar pressure. Control group received no air-abrasion. All specimens were initially cyclic loaded (×20,000, 50N, 1Hz) in water at 37°C and then subjected to biaxial flexural strength testing where the conditioned surface was under tension. Zirconia surfaces were characterized and roughness was measured with 3D surface profilometer. Phase transformation from tetragonal to monoclinic was determined by Raman spectroscopy. The relative amount of transformed monoclinic zirconia (FM) and transformed zone depth (TZD) were measured using XRD. The data (MPa) were analyzed using ANOVA, Tukey's tests and Weibull modulus (m) were calculated for each group (95% CI). The biaxial flexural strength (MPa) of CoJet treated group (1266.3±158A) was not significantly different than that of Rocatec Plus group (1179±216.4A,B) but was significantly higher than the other groups (Control: 942.3±74.6C; 50μm Al2O3: 915.2±185.7B,C). Weibull modulus was higher for control (m=13.79) than those of other groups (m=4.95, m=5.64, m=9.13 for group a, b and c, respectively). Surface roughness (Ra) was the highest with 50μm Al2O3 (0.261μm) than those of other groups (0.15-0.195μm). After all air-abrasion protocols, FM increased (15.02%-19.25%) compared to control group (11.12%). TZD also showed increase after air-abrasion protocols (0.83-1.07μm) compared to control group (0.59μm). Air-abrasion protocols increased the roughness and monoclinic phase but in turn abrasion with 30μm Al2O3 particles coated with silica has increased the biaxial flexural strength of the tested zirconia. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.

Effect of soaking time on the photoluminescence properties of cerium oxide nanoparticles

The structural and photoluminescence properties at room temperature of CeO2 nanoparticles synthesized by a microwave-assisted hydrothermal method (MAH) under different soaking times on KOH mineralizer added to a cerium ammonium nitrate aqueous solution were undertaken. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), Fourier transform Raman (FT-Raman) and photoluminescence (PL) measurements were employed. XRD revealed that the nanoparticles are free of secondary phases and crystallize in the cubic structure. The UV/vis absorption spectroscopy suggested the presence of intermediate energy levels in the band gap of structurally ordered powders. The most intense PL emission was obtained for nanoparticles which represent a lower particle size. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l.

Repair bond strength of microhybrid, nanohybrid and nanofilled resin composites: Effect of substrate resin type, surface conditioning and ageing

Objectives: This study evaluated the microtensile bond strength (MTBS) of non-aged and aged resin-based composites (RBC) (nanohybrid and nanofilled) after two surface conditioning methods, repaired using the composite of the same kind or a microhybrid composite. Materials and methods: Nanohybrid (Tetric EvoCeram-TE) and nanofilled (Filtek Supreme-FS) RBC blocks (5 × 5 × 6 mm) (N = 128) were fabricated and randomly divided into two groups: (a) no ageing (control group) and (b) ageing (5.000 thermocycling, 5-55 °C). RBC surfaces were polished by up to 1,200-grit silicone carbide papers and conditioned with either (a) air abrasion with 30-μm SiO2 particles (CoJet Sand) for 4 s + silane coupling agent (ESPE-Sil) + adhesive resin (VisioBond) (n = 16) or (b) adhesive application only (Multilink A+B for TE; Adper ScotchBond 1XT for FS) (n = 16). In half of the groups, repair resin of the same kind with the RBC and, in the other half, a different kind of composite (microhybrid, Quadrant Anterior Shine-AS) with its corresponding adhesive (Quadrant UniBond) was used. The specimens were submitted to MTBS test (0.5 mm/min). Data were analysed using three-way ANOVA and Tukey's tests. Degree of conversion (DC) of non-aged and aged resin composites (TE, FS) (n = 3 per group) was measured by micro-Raman analyses. Results: RBC type (p = 0.001) and ageing affected the MTBS results significantly (p = 0.001). Surface conditioning type did not show significant difference (p = 0.726), but less number of pre-test failures was experienced with the CoJet system compared to adhesive resin application only. Repair strength on aged TE showed significantly less (p < 0.05) MTBS than for FS. FS repaired with the same kind of RBC and adhesive resin presented the highest cohesive failures (43 %). DC was higher for TE (71 %) than for FS (58 %) before ageing. Conclusion: On the aged RBCs, less favourable repair strength could be expected especially for nanohybrid composite. For repair actions, RBC surface conditioning could be accomplished with either adhesive resin application only or with CoJet system, providing that the latter resulted in less pre-test failures. Clinical relevance: Clinicians could condition the resin surface prior to repair or relayering with either CoJet system or adhesive resin application only, depending on the availability of the system. © 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.