Dielectric probing of low-temperature degradation resistance of commercial zirconia bio-ceramics.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect of the stability of oxygen vacancies on the low-temperature degradation (LTD) resistance of two kinds of commercial zirconia-based materials (3Y-TZP ceramics and Ce-TZP/Al2O3 composites) via the dielectric probing methods. METHODS: The commercial 3Y-TZP ceramics and Ce-TZP/Al2O3 composites were prepared via conventional solid-state methods. Density, phase content, microstructure, strain, and biaxial flexural strength (BFS) of two materials were investigated using Archimedes method, XRD, SEM, strain-electric field (S-E) loops and ball-on-ring methods, respectively. The concentration of oxygen vacancies before and after LTD of two materials were evaluated using dielectric probing and XPS methods. RESULTS: The XRD analysis revealed that compared to the 3Y-TZP ceramics, the Ce-TZP/Al2O3 composites showed better LTD resistance, without clear LTD. The greater LTD resistance for Ce-TZP/Al2O3 composites was associated with their stability of oxygen vacancies, by higher activation energy based on the dielectric measurements and XPS results. For the 3Y-TZP ceramics that underwent the tetragonal to the monoclinic phase transition during the LTD treatment, the concentration of their oxygen vacancies decreased after LTD. In addition, the Ce-TZP/Al2O3 composites exhibited higher flexural strength and potential fracture toughness based on the BFS testing and strain vs electric field measurement results, indicating a great potential for use in fixed restorative dental applications. SIGNIFICANCE: This work suggested the stability of oxygen vacancies played a key role in the resistance to LTD. Optimizing the stability of the oxygen vacancies is key to the development of more reliable zirconia- based dental biomaterials with greater resistance to LTD.

Fatigue and fracture properties of yttria partially stabilized zirconia crown systems.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to test in vitro the fatigue and fracture properties of the Zirconia Everest core material after being veneered with a sintered or a heat-pressed veneer material. METHODS: Fifty zirconium copings were made using Kavo Everest ZS-blanks and the CAD/CAM technology. These were divided equally into two groups. Group one was veneered by a heat-pressed material (IPS e.max ZirPress) and group two was veneered by a sintered material (IPS e.max Ceram). All the crown shapes were subjected to 50,000 cycles of cyclic loading in water between 20 and 200 N, at a rate of 1 Hz and then loaded dynamically at a crosshead speed of 1 mm/min, until failure. Specimens of the core and the veneering materials were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and secondary electron imaging (SEI). RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference in the mean failure load (N+/-S.D.) between group 1: 2135.6+/-330.1 and group 2: 2189.9.1+/-317.6 (p>0.05). No difference was found in the Weibull modulus and characteristic failure load values between the two groups (p>0.05). The specimens displayed mainly cohesive failure within the veneering material. XRD of the zirconium powder before sintering revealed tetragonal and monoclinic phases while after sintering only tetragonal zirconia could be identified. SIGNIFICANCE: There was no difference in the fatigue properties of the Zirconia Everest core material following sintering or heat pressing of the veneering material (p>0.05).