Surface Morphology and Mechanical Properties of Polyether Ether Ketone (PEEK) Nanocomposites Reinforced by Nano-Sized Silica (SiO2) for Prosthodontics and Restorative Dentistry

Ahmed Abd El-Fattah; Heba Youssef; Mohamed Abdel Hady Gepreel; Rafik Abbas; Sherif Kandil

doi:10.3390/polym13173006

Surface Morphology and Mechanical Properties of Polyether Ether Ketone (PEEK) Nanocomposites Reinforced by Nano-Sized Silica (SiO₂) for Prosthodontics and Restorative Dentistry

Polymers (Basel). 2021 Sep 5;13(17):3006. doi: 10.3390/polym13173006.

Authors

Ahmed Abd El-Fattah^{1

2}, Heba Youssef³, Mohamed Abdel Hady Gepreel⁴, Rafik Abbas¹, Sherif Kandil¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Materials Science, Institute of Graduate Studies and Research, Alexandria University, El-Shatby, Alexandria 21526, Egypt.
² Department of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Bahrain, Sakhir P.O. Box 32038, Bahrain.
³ College of Dentistry, Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT), El-Alamein 51718, Egypt.
⁴ Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology (E-JUST), New Borg El-Arab City 21934, Egypt.

Abstract

In the field of orthopedics and traumatology, polyether ether ketone (PEEK) serves a significant role as a suitable alternative to traditional metal-based implants like titanium. PEEK is being used more commonly to replace traditional dental products. For bonding with various adhesive agents and preserved teeth, the surface alteration of PEEK was investigated. The aim of this research was to understand how different types and contents of nano-sized silica (SiO₂) fillers influenced the surface and mechanical properties of PEEK nanocomposites used in prosthodontics. In this work, PEEK based nanocomposites containing hydrophilic or hydrophobic nano-silica were prepared by a compression molding technique. The influence of nano-SiO₂ type and content (10, 20 and 30% wt) on surface properties of the resultant nanocomposites was investigated by the use of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), surface roughness analysis, and contact angle measurement. The crystalline structures of PEEK/SiO₂ nanocomposites were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy. Mechanical properties were measured by microhardness, elastic compression modulus, and flexural strength. All nanocomposites showed increased surface roughness compared to pure PEEK. SEM images revealed that nanocomposites filled with low content hydrophobic nano-SiO₂ showed uniform dispersion within the PEEK matrix. The introduction of 10 wt% of hydrophobic nano-SiO₂ to the PEEK matrix improved elastic modulus, flexural strength, and microhardness, according to the findings. The addition of nano-SiO₂ fillers in a higher weight percentage, over 10%, significantly damages the mechanical characteristics of the resultant nanocomposite. On the basis of the obtained results, PEEK/SiO₂ nanocomposites loaded with low content hydrophobic nano-SiO₂ are recommended as promising candidates for orthopedic and prosthodontics materials.

Keywords: PEEK; compression molding; elastic modulus; flexural strength; microhardness; nano-silica; nanocomposites; prosthodontics; surface properties.