An official website of the United States government
Here’s how you know
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock (
) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
Long-Term Water-Aging of Whisker-Reinforced Polymer-Matrix Composites
Published
Author(s)
Hockin D. Xu
Abstract
Long-term exposure to water may degrade dental resin composites. This study investigated the water-aging effects on whisker-reinforced composites. It was hypothesized that silica-fused whiskers would provide stable and substantial reinforcement, and whisker type would affect water-aging resistance. Silica-fused Si3N4 and SiC whiskers were incorporated into a resin. The specimens were tested by three-point flexure and nano-indentation versus water-aging time from 1 d to 730 d. After 730 d, SiC composite had a strength (mean sd; n = 6) of 185 33 MPa, similar to 146 44 MPa for Si3N4 composite (p = 0.064); both were significantly higher than 67 23 MPa for an inlay/onlay control (p