Abstract
In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of the addition of powdery cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) on the mechanical properties of glass ionomer cement (GIC) without negatively affecting its chemical properties. Commercial GIC was reinforced with powdery CNFs (2–8 wt.%) and characterized in terms of flexural strength, compressive strength, diametral tensile strength, and fluoride-ion release properties. Powdery CNFs and samples subjected to flexural strength testing were observed via scanning electron microscopy. CNF incorporation was found to significantly improve the flexural, compressive, and diametral tensile strengths of GIC, and the corresponding composite was shown to contain fibrillar aggregates of nanofibers interspersed in the GIC matrix. No significant differences in fluoride-ion release properties were observed between the control GIC and the CNF-GIC composite. Thus, powdery CNFs were concluded to be a promising GIC reinforcement agent.
Highlights
In dentistry, the increasing demand for direct filling materials compared to the use of traditional materials has been supported by changes in restorative techniques
The flexural strengths of 2, 4, 6 and 8 wt.% suggested that the hydrophilicity of powdery CNFs (STAR)-containing glass ionomer cement (GIC) significantly exceeded that of the control GIC (t-test, p < 0.05)
The compressive strengths of 4, 6 and 8 wt.% STAR-containing GICs significantly exceeded that of the control GIC (t-test, p < 0.05)
Summary
The increasing demand for direct filling materials compared to the use of traditional materials has been supported by changes in restorative techniques. Since its invention in the early 1970s [2], glass polyalkenoate cement, known as glass ionomer cement (GIC), composed of a mixture of fluoro-alumino-silicate glass powders and a polyacrylic acid solution, has been widely used as a restorative and preventive material in dental applications owing to its good adhesion to tooth structures, linear thermal expansion coefficient similar to that of dentin, biocompatibility, and fluoride-ion release and recharge capability [3,4,5,6]. A renewable and nature-abundant biopolymer, has found diverse applications in the fields of biomedicine, energy, environmental science, and water research [11].
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