Novel bilayered zirconia systems using recycled 3Y-TZP for dental applications

Objective: To synthesize bilayer zirconia systems based on commercial or recycled 3Y-TZP obtained from non-milled remnants and to compare their optical and mechanical properties before and after aging.

Methods: Bilayer zirconia samples were fabricated using either recycled 3Y-TZP (3Y-R/4Y and 3Y-R/5Y) or commercial powders (3Y/4Y and 3Y/5Y). Microstructure and phase composition were analyzed using ScanningElectronMicroscopy (SEM) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). Optical and mechanical properties were assessed via reflectance and biaxial flexural strength tests (BFS), followed by fractographic analysis. Optical properties and BFS data were analyzed using two-way ANOVA and Tukey test, and Weibull statistics, respectively.

Results: Recycled powder exhibited particle sizes < 2.07μm. SEM micrographs depicted dense surfaces with largest grains in the 5Y, followed by recycled-3Y, 4Y, and commercial-3Y. XRD analysis revealed tetragonal peaks in commercial and recycled 3Y-TZPs, and tetragonal and cubic phases in the 4Y and 5Y surfaces. Aging induced significant phase transformation in 4Y (∼40 %), commercial- (58 %) and recycled-3Y (53 %), with no effect in 5Y surfaces. Commercial bilayers exhibited higher translucency and strength (∼1130 MPa) compared to recycled bilayers (∼935 MPa), with no significant differences within commercial, nor within recycled groups. Aging decreased contrast ratio for recycled groups and increased the strength of all groups. While all groups presented high reliability up to 500MPa, commercial bilayers outperformed recycled systems at 800-MPa.

Significance: The synthesis of bilayered systems using recycled-3Y was successful, resulting in high reliability in missions up to 500MPa. Bilayers based on commercial powder demonstrated superior translucency, strength, and reliability at 800MPa compared to their recycled counterparts.