Sensors, Vol. 23, Pages 5336: Preparation of Nanocomposites for Antibacterial Orthodontic Invisible Appliance Based on Piezoelectric Catalysis

Sensors, Vol. 23, Pages 5336: Preparation of Nanocomposites for Antibacterial Orthodontic Invisible Appliance Based on Piezoelectric Catalysis Sensors doi: 10.3390/s23115336 Authors: Yingying Shi Ningning Zhang Jiajie Liu Junbin Wang Shuhui Shen Jingxiang Zhang Xiaoli An Qingzong Si Compared to fixed orthodontic appliances with brackets, thermoplastic invisible orthodontic aligners offer several advantages, such as high aesthetic performance, good comfort, and convenient oral health maintenance, and are widely used in orthodontic fields. However, prolonged use of thermoplastic invisible aligners may lead to demineralization and even caries in most patients’ teeth, as they enclose the tooth surface for an extended period. To address this issue, we have created PETG composites that contain piezoelectric barium titanate nanoparticles (BaTiO3NPs) to obtain antibacterial properties. First, we prepared piezoelectric composites by incorporating varying amounts of BaTiO3NPs into PETG matrix material. The composites were then characterized using techniques such as SEM, XRD, and Raman spectroscopy, which confirmed the successful synthesis of the composites. We cultivated biofilms of Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) on the surface of the nanocomposites under both polarized and unpolarized conditions. We then activated piezoelectric charges by subjecting the nanocomposites to 10 Hz cyclic mechanical vibration. The interactions between the biofilms and ...
Source: Sensors - Category: Biotechnology Authors: Tags: Article Source Type: research