Nanomechanical Characterization of Flowable Dental Restorative Nanocomposite Resins Using AFM

ABSTRACT

In this study, exploring the possible connections between the structure and the functionality of a dental restoration material on the sub-micrometric scale is aimed, especially by focusing on the elastic mechanical properties of materials. Five flowable dental resin composites were investigated by atomic force microscopy nanoindentation. G-ænial™ Universal Flo, Filtek™ Ultimate XT, Vertise™ Flow, Revolution Formula 2™, and Filtek™ Supreme Plus comprising nanofillers have been selected for this study. Young’s modulus was between 12.61 ± 0.35 GPa (for G-ænial™ Universal Flo) and 11.86 ± 0.35 GPa (for Filtek™ Supreme Plus), which were quite similar for all commercial flowable resins.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

KEYWORDS:

• Dental restorative compounds
• elastic modulus
• force spectroscopy
• mechanical characterization
• nanoindentation