1. Properties of Zirconia, Lithium Disilicate Glass Ceramics, and VITA ENAMIC® Hybrid Ceramic Dental Materials Following Ultra-Short Femtosecond (30 fs) Laser Irradiation
- Author
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Victor L. Lagunov, Bakhtiar Ali, Laurence J. Walsh, Andrew B. Cameron, Igor V. Litvinyuk, Maksym Rybachuk, and Roy George
- Subjects
dental materials ,zirconia ,lithium disilicate ,dental composite materials ,ultra-short femtosecond laser ,material composition and properties ,Technology ,Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General) ,TA1-2040 ,Biology (General) ,QH301-705.5 ,Physics ,QC1-999 ,Chemistry ,QD1-999 - Abstract
This study investigated the dose-dependent changes in the chemical composition of three dental ceramic materials—zirconia, lithium disilicate (LD), and VITA ENAMIC® hybrid composite (VITA En)—following irradiation with an ultra-short femtosecond (fs) laser (800 nm, 30 fs, 1 kHz) in an ambient air environment using average laser power (76 mW) and scanning speeds (50, 100, and 200 mm/s), simulating dental treatment processes. The chemical composition of the ablated regions was analyzed using energy dispersive spectroscopy. All irradiated samples showed increased carbon content (by up to 42%) and reduced oxygen (by up to 33%). The observed increase in C content is likely attributed to a combination of surface reactions, adsorption of carbon from the ambient environment, and carbon deposition from the laser-induced plasma, all facilitated by the high-energy conditions created by fs-laser pulses. Scanning electron microscopy revealed ablation with progressive controlled melting and recrystallization, with an absence of pile-up features typically associated with significant thermal damage. These findings demonstrate that ultra-short fs-laser irradiation induces highly controlled, dose-dependent changes in the chemical composition and surface morphology of dental ceramic materials.
- Published
- 2024
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