Mechanical and Antibacterial Properties of h-BN-TiO2 Nanocomposite-Modified Glass Ionomer Cement
Yu Ma, Yanzhu Guo, Yan Liu, Yu-Rui Wang, Jiang-Chuan Yang, Xinzi Kong, Hong-Lin Jia, R.L Li, Qize Han, Cheng-Dong Zheng, Xinjun Hu, Bin Liu
Abstract
This study investigated the mechanical properties and antibacterial properties of hexagonal boron nitride and titanium dioxide (h-BN-TiO 2 ) nanocomposite modified traditional glass ionomer cement. The mechanism of formation of the h-BN-TiO 2 nanocomposite was elucidated by conducting molecular dynamics (MD) simulations using the Material Studio (MS) software. Furthermore, synthesis of h-BN-TiO 2 nanocomposite by the original growth method using hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets (h-BNNs) and titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO 2 Nps) and characterization using TEM and AFM to determine their particle sizes, morphologies, and structures. The mechanical properties and antibacterial efficacies of the glass ionomer cement composites were analyzed based on the different mass fractions (0, 0.3, 0.7, 1.1, and 1.5 wt%) of the h-BN-TiO 2 nanocomposite. The results showed when the concentration of the h-BN-TiO 2 nanocomposite was 1.1 wt%, the Compressive strength (CS) and Vicker hardness (VHN) were 80.2% and 149.65% higher, respectively, compared to the glass ionomer cement without any h-BN-TiO 2 nanocomposite. Also, the increase in the concentration of the h-BN-TiO 2 nanocomposite led to a decrease in both the coefficient of friction (COF) and solubility, but a 93.4% increase in the antibacterial properties of the glass ionomer cement composites. The cell survival rate of each group was more than 70% after 48 h, but the difference was not statistically significant ( p > 0.05). Therefore, the h-BN-TiO 2 nanocomposite served as a reinforcing material for glass ionomer cement, which can be useful in clinical dentistry and provide a new strategy for improving the clinical utility of glass ionomer cement.