Fabrication and characterisation of a novel biomimetic anisotropic ceramic/polymer-infiltrated composite material

Publication date: Available online 10 April 2018
Source:Dental Materials
Author(s): Sara Al-Jawoosh, Anthony Ireland, Bo Su
ObjectiveTo fabricate and characterise a novel biomimetic composite material consisting of aligned porous ceramic preforms infiltrated with polymer.MethodFreeze-casting was used to fabricate and control the microstructure and porosity of ceramic preforms, which were subsequently infiltrated with 40–50% by volume UDMA-TEGDMA polymer. The composite materials were then subjected to characterisation, namely density, compression, three-point bend, hardness and fracture toughness testing. Samples were also subjected to scanning electron microscopy and computerised tomography (Micro-CT).ResultsThree-dimensional aligned honeycomb-like ceramic structures were produced and full interpenetration of the polymer phase was observed using micro-CT. Depending on the volume fraction of the ceramic preform, the density of the final composite ranged from 2.92 to 3.36g/cm³, compressive strength ranged from 206.26 to 253.97MPa, flexural strength from 97.73 to 145.65MPa, hardness ranged from 1.46 to 1.62GPa, and fracture toughness from 3.91 to 4.86MPam^1/2.SignificanceFreeze-casting provides a novel method to engineer composite materials with a unique aligned honeycomb-like interpenetrating structure, consisting of two continuous phases, inorganic and organic. There was a correlation between the ceramic fraction and the subsequent, density, strength, hardness and fracture toughness of the composite material.



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