The novelty of this study consists in the formulation and characterization of three experimental dental composites (PM, P14M, P2S) for cervical dental lesion restoration compared to the commercial composites Enamel plus HRi® - En (Micerium S.p.A, Avengo, Ge, Italy), G-ænial Anterior® - Ge, (GC Europe N.V., Leuven, Belgium), Charisma® - Ch (Heraeus Kulzer, Berkshire, UK). The physio-chemical properties were studied, like the degree of conversion and the residual monomers in cured samples using FTIR-ATR (attenuated total reflectance) and HPLC-UV (ultraviolet detection), as well as the evaluation of the mechanical properties of the materials. The null hypothesis was that there would be no differences between experimental and commercial resin composites regarding the evaluated parameters. Statistical analysis revealed that water and saliva storage induced significant modifications of all mechanical parameters after three months for all tested materials, except for a few comparisons for each type of material. Storage medium seemed not to alter the values of mechanical parameters in comparison with the initial ones for: diametral tensile strength (DTS-saliva for Ge and PM, compressive strength (CS)-water for Ch, DTS-water and Young’s modulus YM-saliva for P14M and YM-water/ saliva for P2S (p > 0.05). Two of the experimental materials showed less than 1% residual monomers, which sustains good polymerization efficiency. Experimental resin composites have good mechanical properties, which makes them recommendable for the successful use in load-bearing surfaces of posterior teeth.

The clinical performances of dental materials depend on their mechanical profiles, determining their long-term deformation and wear resistance. This paper describes a study on the mechanical properties, water absorption and morphological properties of a polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) resin enriched with graphene-silver nanoparticles (Gr-Ag). Two different concentrations—1 and 2 wt.%—of Gr-Ag were loaded into the PMMA material. For the mechanical characterization, the compression behavior, flexural strength and tensile strength were evaluated. Optical microscopy in polarized light and scanning electron microscopy were used for filler analysis. The filler addition led to an improvement in all mechanical properties, with slight changes being derived from the filler content variation. Gr-Ag use led to an increase in the applied maximum loads. Moreover, 1 wt.% Gr-Ag determined an increase of 174% in the modulus of rupture, which indicates high flexibility.

Fly ash-based geopolymers can be considered as a greener alternative to ordinary Portland cement, featuring comparable properties and cost yet with lower CO₂ emissions. New wood fiber reinforced geopolymer composites with sand addition (WFSGC) have been synthesized at room temperature by mixing powder (fly ash, sand and randomly reinforced wood fiber) with sodium silicate and sodium hydroxide as alkaline activators. New WFSGC were cured at 90°C for 24 h. The design and investigation of WFSGC were based on a fix 5 wt.% percentage of sand, with variable wood fiber (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35 wt.%) and fly ash percentages. These WFSGC showed decreasing mechanical properties with increasing wood fiber addition as measured by the compressive strength at the cylindrical test (21.76–42.52 MPa), the compressive strength at the cubic test (31.79–39.17 MPa), the force load at upper yield at the cylindrical test (1.27–3.58KN), the flexural strength (7–10.76 MPa), compressive modulus at the cylindrical test (590,75–1021.17 MPa), the compressive modulus at cubic test (787.92–1059.79 MPa) and the flexural modulus (298.03–737.83 MPa). The density of WFRGC decreases with the addition of wood fiber (1.49–1.71 g/cm³). WFSGC with addition wood fibers up to 15 wt.% could be the limit for a promising green material for construction.

Various powders of graphene oxide (GO), GO with silver (GO-Ag) and zinc oxide (GO-ZnO) were obtained. The powders were silanized with (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTES) aiming to be used, in a future stage, as additives in the hydraulic lime mortars composition. The powders were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) before and after the silanization process. GO, GO-Ag, GO-Ag-APTES, GO-ZnO and GO-ZnO-APTES powders were also investigated by Thermogravimetric Analysis (TG/DTA) and Ultraviolet–Visible Spectroscopy (UV-Vis). Likewise, the antibacterial effect of powders against five bacterial strains was evaluated. The peaks associated to the functional groups from GO, GO-APTES, GO-Ag, GO-Ag-APTES, GO-ZnO and GO-ZnO-APTES powders were identified by FTIR analysis. The mass losses of powders, analyzed by TG/DTA were lower than those recorded for GO. By UV-VIS analysis, maxima corresponding to the electronic π-π * and n-π * transitions were recorded. SEM images highlighted the lamellar and layered structure of GO, but also the presence of Ag and Zn nanoparticles on the surface of graphene sheets. All these results confirm the presence of Ag/ZnO/APTES on the GO. The antibacterial effect evaluated by recording the diameter of the inhibition zone ranged between 12–22 mm.

(1) Background: This study investigated the influence of Bis-GMA, TEGDMA, UDMA, and two different polyethylene glycol (PEG)-containing, UDMO-based co-monomers on the Young’s modulus and flexural strength, degree of methacrylate C=C double bond conversion and residual monomer elution of experimental dental resins. (2) Methods: Urethane methacrylate-based monomer was synthesised via a radical chain growth polymerization mechanism using PEG in order to improve the mechanical properties. Dental resins were formulated using Bis-GMA, UDMA, or UDMO as base monomers combined with TEGDMA as a dilution monomer and DMAEM + CQ as the photo-initiator system. Degree of conversion (DC), mechanical properties, and residual monomer content of light-activated methacrylate resin formulations were evaluated and statistically analysed by ANOVA and a Tukey’s test. (3) Results: PEG-containing UDMO resins had lower Young’s modulus and elastic strength than UDMA-derived resin for all irradiation times. The highest DC (67,418%) was observed for the PEG-containing UDMO-based resin formulation when light cured for 40 s. For all samples, DC increased with the photo-polymerization time. The amount of residual monomer decreased after increasing the light-curing period from 20 to 40 s, resin with UDMO content 0.01 mol of PEG having the smallest amount of free eluted monomer. (4) Conclusions: A strong structure–property relationship exists in photo-cured dimethacrylate-based dental resins. The time and quantity of the photochemical initiation system can influence the physical–mechanical properties of the resins but also the monomers in their composition.