Friction and wear behavior of bioinspired composites with nacre-like lamellar and brick-and-mortar architectures against human enamel

Friction and wear performance is critical for dental materials which are inevitably subject to reciprocating friction against opposing teeth in applications. Here in-vitro friction and wear behavior of bioinspired ceramic-polymer composites, which possess nacre-like lamellar and brick-and-mortar architectures and resemble human teeth in their stiffness and hardness, against human tooth enamel were quantitatively investigated to imitate actual service conditions in line with standardized testing configuration. The composites were revealed to exhibit different wear mechanisms and lead to differing extents of wear to the opposing tooth enamel depending on their specific architectural types and orientations. In particular, the brick-and-mortar architecture displayed much less wear than the lamellar one, without obviously roughening the contact surfaces with enamel owing to its high ceramic content, and as such did not accelerate the wear of enamel as compared to smooth ceramics. Such characteristics, combined with its unique stiffness and hardness matching those of human enamel as well as the good fracture toughness and machinability, endow the composite with a promising potential for dental applications. This work may provide an experimental basis to this end and may also give insights towards designing new bioinspired wear-resistant materials for reducing friction and wear. ?? 2022 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The editorial office of Journal of Materials Science & Technology.

Automated summary

This study quantitatively investigated the in-vitro friction and wear behavior of bioinspired ceramic-polymer composites against human tooth enamel, revealing different wear mechanisms and extents of wear depending on their specific architectural types and orientations. The brick-and-mortar architecture displayed much less wear than the lamellar one and did not accelerate the wear of enamel, showing promising potential for dental applications.