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

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.