Comparative study related to the physicochemical properties of ceramic materials and the clinical implications

Abstract

Aim. In response to increased clinical performance of ceramic restorations, the aim of this study is to test, analyze and compare the physical and chemical properties of pressed ceramics and zirconium oxide. Material and method. For this comparative analysis, three ceramic materials were studied, pressed ceramic (IPS E. max Ceram) and zirconium oxide (Ceramill zolid FX and BruxZir) and a dilatometer, the scanning electron microsope and a diffractometer were used for their physico-chemical properties analysis. The morphology of the materials was determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM images), their elementary composition by X-ray spectroscopy (EDX analysis), the chemical composition by X-XRD diffraction, their behavior at different temperatures by dilatometry. Results and discussions. According to SEM images, the three materials have different morphology, with different phases and it was found that zirconium oxide has the highest mechanical strength, being formed only of the crystalline phase. EDX ANALYSIS identified that silicon dioxide (SiO2) forms of glassy network, and sodium (Na) and potassium (K) oxides are modifiers of the glassy network. By dilatometry, it was possible to analyze the sensitive behavior of the three ceramics at high temperatures up to 700 °C, finding that zirconia ceramics was least affected and is the most resistant to thermal shock. Conclusion. Both pressed ceramics and zirconium oxide have high aesthetic qualities, but the latter shows a higher mechanical strength and high thermal shock resistance.

Keywords

• pressed ceramics
• zirconium oxide
• sem
• dilatometer
• diffractometer