Silane coupling agents are used to promote adhesion between dissimilar materials
Silane coupling agents, which are synthetic hybrid inorganic-organic compounds, are used to promote adhesion between dissimilar materials. They are good at promoting adhesion in silica-based materials such as porcelain. However, adhesion in non-silica-based restorative materials such as zirconia, metals and metal alloys is not satisfactory.
A solution to this problem may be surface conditioning of the restorative materials. Currently, a widely used surface-conditioning method in dentistry is tribochemical silica coating. After this treatment, a silica layer is formed on the surface so that the silane coupling agent can react chemically to form a durable bond with non-silica-based materials. Moreover, this treatment increases surface roughness, which will enhance micromechanical interlocking for bonding.
This review will discuss surface-conditioning methods and some new surface-conditioning techniques, silane chemistry, silane application in dentistry, and the limitations of silanes in adhesion promotion. The silane monomer most commonly used in clinical commercial products is 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane. This is pre-hydrolysed in a solvent mixture usually consisting of ethanol and water that is acidified with acetic acid.
The shelf life for a single-bottle silane solution is relatively short. The solution will turn cloudy over time and cannot be used for adhesion. Two-bottle silane systems have been developed to offer a more stable system. One bottle contains an unhydrolysed silane in ethanol and the other one contains an aqueous acetic acid solution. The two solutions are mixed for silane hydrolysis before use.
Surface-conditioning methods
The surface conditioning of restorative materials is an important preliminary step in clinical practice to modify surface properties for durable and hydrolytically stable adhesion. The surface pretreatment methods widely used in dental technology are grit blasting, tribochemical silica coating and hydrofluoric acid etching, which will be discussed briefly in the following section.
Grit blasting
The surface of materials such as metals, alloys and some ceramics is sand-blasted with alumina particles of 110 μm in size at a perpendicular distance of 10 mm under an air pressure of 380 kPa for ten to 15 seconds. This process is intended to increase the surface roughness of the materials. It also enhances micromechanical retention for bonding.