A NOVEL METAL-POLYMER COMPOSITE FOR AMALGAM REPLACEMENT

使用银汞合金重建牙齿是有争议的，因为它在使用过程中会释放汞。因此，银汞合金替代品经常被牙科医生放置。最常用的替代品是陶瓷增强聚合物基复合材料，其存活率大约是汞齐的一半。本意见书的目的是开发一种可替代含汞牙科汞齐的材料类别。它的成功开发将带来一种成本效益高的方法，长期使用无汞材料重建患病的牙齿组织。本研究的具体目标是：(1)合成能够在金属填料和聚合物之间形成强键的可聚合烷基硫醇；(2)确定沉积烷基硫醇的候选衬底的最佳表面制备方法；(3)制备金属-聚合物复合材料的原型。研究设计包括合成阶段，将评估候选化合物在模型系统上调节强键的能力，使用表面科学技术(光谱、显微镜)来验证合成的成功以及化合物在候选衬底上的沉积，以及最后阶段，将对原型材料进行机械表征并评估其用作牙齿承载表面修复材料的可行性。技术创新的潜力是非常积极的。这里使用了关于硫醇化学和硫醇在金属上形成致密有序单分子膜的能力的核心知识基础。当用可聚合的乙烯基团功能化时，这些化合物可以将金属填料牢固地结合到聚合物基质上，形成一种先进的牙科用材料。建议的商业应用：这项研究有几个潜在的商业应用。第一个是在口腔健康领域，正在寻求成功开发一种成本效益高、更耐用的牙科汞齐替代品。第二种应用涉及使用所开发的附着力促进剂。它们可以作为金属和聚合物之间的偶联剂，用于任何生物医学应用。它们可用于牙科的间接修复术，即金属矫治器或单个牙齿修复体粘结到牙釉质/牙本质上，或用于矫形外科的骨水泥，如使用金属种植体。

The use of dental amalgam for the reconstruction of teeth is controversial due to its release of mercury during in-service use. Thus, amalgam alternatives are frequently placed by dental practitioners. The most commonly used alternatives, ceramic reinforced polymer-matrix composites, have a survival rate that is approximately half that of amalgam. The purpose of this submission is to develop an alternative class of materials that can serve as a substitute for mercury-containing dental amalgam. Its successful development will lead to a cost-effective method of reconstructing diseased tooth tissue for the long-term using a mercury-free material. The specific aims of this research are to (1) synthesize polymerizable alkylthiols that can mediate strong bonds between metal fillers and polymers, (2) identify the optimal method of surface preparation of candidate substrates for the deposition of the alkylthiol, and (3) formulate prototype metal-polymer composites. The research design involves a synthesis phase where candidate compounds will be assessed for their ability to mediate strong bonds on models systems, the use of surface science techniques (spectroscopies, microscopies) to verify success of the synthesis as well as deposition of the compounds on candidate substrates, and the final phase where prototype materials will be mechanically characterized and assessed for their feasibility to be used as restorative materials for load-bearing surfaces of teeth. The potential for technological innovation is very positive. A core base of knowledge involving thiol chemistry and the ability of thiols to form dense, ordered monolayers on metals is used here. When functionalized with polymerizable vinyl groups, these compounds can strongly bind metal fillers to a polymer matrix and form an advanced material for dental use. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS: This research has several potential commercial applications. The first is in the field of oral health, where the successful development of a cost- effective, more durable alternative to dental amalgam is being sought. A second application involves the use of the adhesion promoters developed. These can act as couplers between metals and polymers for any biomedical application. They could be used for indirect restorative procedures in dentistry where metal appliances or single tooth restorations are bonded to enamel/dentin, or as bone cements in orthopedics when metal implants are used.