Low temperature degradation of alumina-toughened zirconia in artificial saliva

Abstract

The long-term aging behavior of an alumina-toughened zirconia (ATZ) ceramic in artificial saliva hydrothermal atmosphere was determined and compared with that of tetragonal zirconia polycrystals doped with 3mol% Y₂O₃ (3Y-TZP). The specimens of 3Y-TZP and ATZ were aged in distilled water and artificial salivary respectively at 134 °C. Monoclinic phase content was evaluated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Specimen strength was determined by a biaxial bending test. Surface screening was done using an atomic force microscope (AFM). No statistically significant influence of any treatment on strength was demonstrated for either material. However, XRD measurements revealed ATZ’s anti-aging properties were much better than TZP after the aging treatment. Therefore, ATZ can be applied to the field of dentistry. Artificial saliva in ceramic surface sediments may be useful for strengthening ceramics.

Keywords

zirconia / alumina / aging / artificial saliva / LTD

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