Tensile and Shrinkage Evaluation on newly developed β-TCP /ZnO filled PMMA for craniofacial reconstruction

Wan Nur Fadilla Wan Hamad, Abdul Manaf Abdullah, Dasmawati Mohamad

Abstract

Unfilled PMMA suffers from its moderate mechanical properties and high shrinkage. This study aimed to evaluate tensile and shrinkage of newly developed β-TCP/ZnO filled PMMA for craniofacial reconstruction. β-TCP was fixed at 15 wt%, whereas ZnO was varied between 0, 2.5 and 5 wt%. Unfilled PMMA was also prepared as control (n=7/composition).  β-TCP particles were in 1-5 µm sizes whereas ZnO particles were in nanosize of less than 260nm.The effect of filler incorporation on the tensile and morphological were determined using Universal Testing Machine (AGX 2 plus, Shimadzu, Japan),  field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Shrinkage was calculated using volumetric shrinkage formula. Statistical analysis of One-Way ANOVA (p<0.05) was employed to assess the differences in the mean of tensile and shrinkage properties between the developed composites and unfilled PMMA. Shrinkage percentages reduced from 8.29 % (unfilled PMMA) to 4.8% with incorporation of 5%ZnO. The tensile strength of the composites was significantly reduced with incorporation of β-TCP/ZnO fillers. Tensile modulus and shrinkage properties of the composites were significantly improved. Thus, this newly developed β-TCP/ZnO filled PMMA is a promising biomaterial for craniofacial reconstruction.