›› 2020, Vol. 40 ›› Issue (4): 304-308.

• Basic Research • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Evaluation of the mechanical properties of a novel transparent Y-TZP ceramic product after low-temperature degradation

  

  • Received:2019-10-10 Revised:2020-01-03 Online:2020-04-28 Published:2020-04-28

Abstract: Objective To evaluate the effect of aging in vitro on the flexural strength of a novel transparent Y-TZP ceramic product and Weibull analysis. Methods Sixteen transparent Y-TZP ceramic Katana UTML (KU) specimens were prepared and Lava Plus (LP) was selected as the control group, a transparent Y-TZP product commonly used in the dental market. The specimens were subjected to hydrothermal aging treatment according to the following methods: in an autoclave at 134℃ under 0.2MPa for 20h. The flexural strength of the samples before and after aging was tested by a universal tester, and then the value of flexural strength was analyzed by Weibull analysis. Besides, Scanning electron microscope (SEM) was applied to analyze the surface microstructure of the two zirconia ceramics before and after aging. Results There was no significant difference in the flexural strength of KU before and after aging, but it was significantly lower than that of LP. The results of Weibull analysis showed that the Weibull modulus (m) of KU increased after aging, while the m value of LP decreased. The results of SEM showed that there was no significant changes on the surface morphology of KU after aging, while the grain continuity of LP was destroyed. Conclusions Aging in vitro had no adverse effect on the flexural strength of the novel transparent Y-TZP ceramic product KU. Compared with LP, hydrothermal aging treatment didn’t reduce the reliability and structural integrity of KU, which indicated that KU has a better aging resistance than LP.

Key words: zirconia ceramic, low-temperature degradation, flexural strength, Weibull analysis