Quasi-Static Characterization of Self-Healing Dental Composites

Abstract

Self-healing in dental resin composites were successfully achieved in recently developed dental composites. A self-healing system of microcapsules was made of 30–60 μm diameter of initiator (BPO) and activator monomers. A compact version of tapered double cantilever beam (cTDCB) specimens was made of dental composites by integrating the self-healing components in the form of microcapsules. Quasi-static tests were performed to characterize specimens and to measure healing efficiency. Two sets of specimens were tested to show the healing ability of the dental composites which include: injected healing, and full in-situ self-healing specimens. The injected healing specimens were made using 40 wt% of dental resin and 60 wt% of a dental filler; the healing system of equal amounts of initiator and activator were injected in fluid form into the surface crack instantly after breaking the specimens. Full in-situ self-healing specimens of dental composites were made using 40 wt% of dental resin, 55 wt% of dental filler, and 5 wt% of equal amounts of initiator and activator microcapsules. The results show 10.31–36.62 % of self-healing efficiency was successfully achieved in 80 % of the in-situ self-healing specimens, and 94–99.5 % of healing efficiency was achieved in all of the injected specimens.