Effect of Titania and Silver Nanoparticles on the Tensile Strength of Cement-Like Mineral Trioxide Aggregate

Abstract

Several attempts have been conducted to improve the mechanical properties of mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA), including the addition of various nanoparticle materials such as silver and titania. The smaller the added material, the higher the material’s ability to fill the cavity of MTA, thus increasing the tensile strength of MTA after hydration. In this study, the effect of silver nanoparticles (AgNP) concentration and titania (TiO2) mass variation on the tensile strength of MTA was investigated. The ratio of MTA mass to AgNP volume used was 1 g to 330 μL, while TiO2 was added to MTA powder in a solid-solid state with a mass variation. The results show that the addition of AgNP and TiO2 to MTA powder can significantly increase the tensile strength of MTA from 0.404±0.125 to 1.044±0.021 and 1.378±0.391 MPa for 1.5% Ag and 0.5% TiO2, respectively.