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Self-assembled nano-layering resulting from interaction of the phosphate functional group of adhesive monomers with zirconia ceramic surface has been proposed. The purpose of this study was to investigate the bond strengths of two adhesive resin cements (Panavia F 2.0 and BisCem) containing phosphate monomers added with various concentrations (0.0, 1.0, 3.0, and 5.0 wt%) of triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) to air-abraded zirconia ceramic. The polished/air-abraded zirconia plates (KaVo Everest® ZS-Ronde) were imaged using atomic force microscopy and the average surface roughness (Ra) values were calculated (n = 5). The surface energy parameters of the zirconia plates and the resin cements were calculated based on the extended Fowkes theory. All resin-bonded (diameter: 2.38 mm) zirconia specimens were stored in water at 37 °C for 24 h and then half of them additionally thermocycled 10,000 times before the shear bond strength (SBS) test (n = 10). Air-abrasion of zirconia surface significantly increased the γhS (hydrogen bonding component) value (p < 0.001), as well as greatly increasing the surface area (p < 0.001). For both resin cements, the γhS (dipole–dipole component) gradually increased with increasing incorporated TEGDMA concentrations, whereas the γhS gradually decreased. Overall, the addition of 3.0 wt% of TEGDMA consistently resulted in higher SBS values even after thermocycling. Under the tested condition, reducing the concentration of the adhesive monomers with phosphate functional group by adding the dimethacrylate monomer (up to 3.0 wt%) increased the bond strength between the resin cements and zirconia ceramic.

Self-assembled nano-layering resulting from combined ionic and hydrogen-bonding interactions of phosphate functional monomers with zirconia have been proposed. The purpose of this study was to investigate the bond strengths of two phosphate monomer-containing adhesive resin cements (Panavia F 2.0 and RelyX U200) to a conventional tetragonal zirconia (Lava Plus, LP) and a new cubic zirconia (Lava Esthetic, LE), with three different shade zones, after air-abrasion. The structures of the zirconia surfaces were examined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffractometry (XRD). Vickers hardness and fracture toughness of the surfaces were also evaluated using a hardness tester. After air-abrasion (with 50 µm Al2O3 at a pressure of 0.25 MPa), the surface roughness was measured using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and the resin cements were bonded (diameter: 2.38 mm) to the surfaces. All bonded specimens were stored in water at 37 °C for 24 h before performing the shear bond strength (SBS) test (n = 15). In the SEM images, the LP group showed a finer grain size than the LE groups. The XRD patterns confirmed that LP and LE had tetragonal and cubic phases, respectively. Although there were no significant differences in Vickers hardness among the four groups (p = 0.117), the three LE groups revealed inferior fracture toughness to the LP group (p < 0.001). However, neither the surface roughness of the air-abraded zirconia surfaces nor SBS values of each resin cement bonded to them were significantly different (p > 0.05). In conclusion, no significant difference in SBS value was detected between the tetragonal and cubic zirconia within each resin cement used, probably due to the similar surface roughness of the air-abraded zirconia ceramics.

The adhesion property of zirconia powder-incorporated primers was investigated in vitro with the aim of enhancing the resin bond strength to zirconia ceramic. A commercial zirconia primer was modified through the addition of 0 (control), 5, 10, 25, and 50 wt% of a zirconia powder (codes: ZP0, ZP5, ZP10, ZP25, and ZP50, respectively). Prior to primer modification, the powder was characterized via differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectrophotometry. The surfaces of dental zirconia ceramic discs were air-abraded and treated with one of the five primers. One resin composite cylinder (diameter: 2.38 mm) was bonded on one specimen surface (n = 12/group). The bonded specimens were all stored for 24 h in distilled water at 37 °C and subjected to 5000 thermal cycles prior to shear bond strength (SBS) testing. The DSC and FTIR analyses confirmed that the zirconia powder contained an organic binder. The SBS test results showed that the groups could be arranged as follows, ZP25 > ZP10 > ZP5 > ZP0, i.e., in descending order of the mean value. The lowest SBS value was obtained for the ZP50 group. The results suggest that the incorporation of a zirconia powder into a primer represents a promising modification method for improving the resin bond strength to zirconia ceramic.

Self-assembled monolayers of thiols (RSH), which are key elements in nanoscience and nanotechnology, have been used to link a range of materials to planar gold surfaces or gold nanoparticles. In this study, the adhesive performance of mercapto silane systems to dental noble metal alloys was evaluated in vitro and compared with that of commercial dental primers. Dental gold-palladium-platinum (Au-Pd-Pt), gold-palladium-silver (Au-Pd-Ag), and palladium-silver (Pd-Ag) alloys were used as the bonding substrates after air-abrasion (sandblasting). One of the following primers was applied to each alloy: (1) no primer treatment (control), (2) three commer- cial primers: V-Primer, Metal Primer II, and M.L. Primer, and (3) two experimental silane primer systems: 2-step application with 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (SPS) (1.0 wt%) and then 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MPS) (1.0 wt%), and a silane blend consisting of SPS and MPS (both 1.0 wt%). Composite resin cylinders with a diameter of 2.38 mm were bonded to the surfaces and irradiated for 40 sec using a curing light. After storage in water at 37 °C for 24 h, all the bonded specimens were thermocycled 5000 times before the shear bond strength test. Regardless of the alloy type, the mercapto silane systems (both the 2-step and blend systems) consistently showed superior bonding performance than the commercial primers. Contact angle analysis of the primed surfaces indicated that higher resin bond strengths were produced on more hydrophilic alloy surfaces. These novel mercapto silane systems are a promising alternative for improving resin bonding to dental noble metal alloys.