Effect of Al2O3 Nanowires and ZrO2 Nanoparticles Addition on the Mechanical and Tribological Properties of Heat-Cured PMMA Acrylic Denture Base Material
Abstract
This study is aimed to investigate the reinforcement addition effects of Al2O3nanowires (Al2O3NWs) and ZrO2nanoparticles (ZrO2 NPs) at different weight fractions (wt.%)on the mechanical and tribological properties of a heat-cured polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) denture base. All the present nanocomposites of PMMA at various nanofiller concentrations of 0, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, and 0.9 wt.% of Al2O3 NWs and ZrO2 NPs were fabricated by a heat-cured acrylic resin using water bath method.To evaluate the mechanical properties, microhardness test was conducted to estimate the microhardness number of all specimens. Also, tribological properties of pure PMMA and its nanocomposites were examined by pin-on-disk tester under dry sliding conditions to evaluate wear rate and coefficient of friction (COF). Wear test wasdone at 35±3 ºC under applied loads of 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 N at a constant sliding speed and distance of 1.25 m/s and 226 m, respectively. Hence, COFof all nanocomposites was measured during wear test.Vickers hardness number (VHN), wear rate, and COF results were improved with increasing nanofiller content up to 0.5 and 0.7 wt. % of Al2O3 NWs and ZrO2 NPs, respectively. Also, a significant increase in wear rate behavior was observed with increasing applied loads up to 50 N, while COF decreases with increasing applied loads up to 40 N. After that, worn surfaces were evaluated and imaged using scanning electron microscope (SEM).
