Resilient polymeric materials such as silicone elastomers are currently used for maxillofacial prostheses construction but the strength of these materials and their clinical performance need to be optimized with the addition of reinforcing fillers. This study investigates the effect of zirconia nanopowder addition on tear strength, tensile strength, elongation at break, Shore A hardness, surface roughness and cytotoxicity of VST-50 maxillofacial silicone. Silicone base was mixed with different amounts (1%, 2% and 3%) of zirconia nanopowder using a vacuum mixer. Silicone without filler was used as control for comparison. Scanning Electron Microscopy and Atomic Force Microscopy were utilized to assess the efficiency of high-shear vacuum mixing as filler dispersion method and the surface topography, respectively. Both SEM and AFM images showed that the zirconia nanopowder were distributed fairly well within the polymer. Statistically, highly significant increase in tear strength, tensile strength and hardness with non-significant decrease in elongation at break and non-significant increase in surface roughness were seen with 1% and 2% groups. Whereas with 3% group, there was significant improvement in tear strength, tensile strength and hardness but there was significant undesirable decrease in elongation and increase in roughness. Cytotoxicity test revealed that the addition of zirconia nanopowder was nontoxic to Rat Embryonic Fibroblast (REF) cells and there was non-significant change in the cell viability of all study groups after 24- and 72-hours incubation periods. In conclusion, the addition of 2% by weight nano zirconia to VST-50 maxillofacial silicone could be beneficial in enhancing its performance.
The structural, optical and electrical properties of ZnS films prepared by vacuum evaporation technique on glass substrate at room temperature and treated at different annealing temperatures (323, 373, 423)K of thickness (0.5)µm have been studied. The structure of these films is determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The X-ray diffraction studies show that the structure is polycrystalline with cubic structure, and there are strong peaks at the direction (111). The optical properties investigated which include the absorbance and transmittance spectra, energy band gab, absorption coefficient, and other optical constants. The results showed that films have direct optical transition. The optical band gab was found to be in the range t
... Show MoreA polycrystalline PbxS1-x alloys with various Pb content ( 0.54 and 0.55) has been prepared successfully. The structure and composition of alloys are determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) respectively. The X-ray diffraction results shows that the structure is polycrystalline with cubic structure, and there are strong peaks at the direction (200) and (111), the grain size varies between 20 and 82 nm. From AAS and XRF result, the concentrations of Pb content for these alloys were determined. The results show high accuracy and very close to the theoretical values. A photoconductive detector as a bulk has been fabricated by taking pieces of prepared alloys and polished chemic
... Show MoreNumerous drilling additives and materials are used continuously because they are necessary to support and give the required properties of the drilling fluid so that to ensure the stability of the borehole. This paper aspires to evaluate the rheological properties of bentonite (montmorillonite) Trefawey as an alternative to using commercial bentonite. Monitoring and evaluating of the rheological and filtration properties were prepared. This exertion aims to focus on the effect of hematite, and barite on the rheological properties of the three aforementioned bentonite types. An improvement in the rheological properties of bentonite (montmorillonite). Trefawey was observed after adding the previous heavy materials. Hematite has by some
... Show MoreThe Nuclear structure of 110-116Cd isotopes was studied theoretically in the framework of the interacting boson model of IBM-l and IBM-2. The properties of the lowest mixed symmetry states such as the 1+, 2+ and 3+ levels produced by the IBM-2 model in the vibrational-limit U(5) of Cd - isotopes are studied in details. This analysis shows that the character of mixed symmetry of 2+ is shared between and states in 110-114Cd – isotopes, the large shar goes to s, while in isotope, the state is declared as a mixed symmetry state without sharing. This identification is confirmed by the percentage of F-spin contribution. The electromagnetic properties of E2 and Ml operators were investigated and the results were analyzed. Various
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