Microstructural evolution and physical behavior of a lithium disilicate glass–ceramic

Lithium disilicate glass–ceramics were first introduced into the dental community in 1998 by Ivoclar Vivadent. Since its inception, dental research on the lithium disilicate glass–ceramics have been based on the commercial product, IPS Empress® 2 (Ivoclar Vivadent, Schaan, Liechtenstein). It contained approximately 65% volume fraction of lithium disilicates, 34% volume fraction of residual glass, and 1% volume fraction of porosity after heat treatments [1]. Unlike the binary lithium disilicate system that was first developed by Stookey [2], the IPS Empress® 2 was derived from a multi-component system, formulated from SiO2–Li2O–K2O–ZnO–Al2O3–La2O3–P2O5 compositions [3,4].

Source: Dental Materials - June 13, 2015 Category: Materials Science Authors: Wen Lien, Howard W. Roberts, Jeffrey A. Platt, Kraig S. Vandewalle, Thomas J. Hill, Tien-Min G. Chu Source Type: research