Bismuth Quantum Dot (Bi QD)/Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) Nanocomposites with Self-Cleaning and Antibacterial Activity for Dental Applications

Abstract

In the oral microenvironment, bacteria colonies are easily aggregated on the tooth-restoration surface, in the manner of a biofilm, which usually consists of heterogeneous structures containing clusters of a variety of bacteria embedded in an extracellular matrix, leading to serious recurrent caries. In this contribution, zero-dimensional (0D) bismuth (Bi) quantum dots (QDs) synthesized by a facile solvothermal method were directly employed to fabricate a Bi QD/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-modified tooth by simple curing treatment. The result demonstrates that the as-fabricated Bi QD/PDMS-modified tooth at 37 °C for 120 min not only showed significantly improved hydrophobic performance with a water contact angle of 103° and 115° on the tooth root and tooth crown, respectively, compared to that (~20° on the tooth root, and ~5° on the tooth crown) of the pristine tooth, but also exhibited excellent antibacterial activity against S. mutans, superior biocompatibility, and biosafety. In addition, due to the highly photothermal effect of Bi QDs, the antibacterial activity of the as-fabricated Bi QD/PDMS-modified tooth could be further enhanced under illumination, even at a very low power density (12 mW cm−2). Due to the facile fabrication, excellent hydrophobicity, superior antibacterial activity, and biocompatibility and biosafety of the Bi QD/PDMS-modified tooth, it is envisioned that the Bi QD/PDMS-modified tooth with a fascinating self-cleaning and antibacterial performance can pave the way to new designs of versatile multifunctional nanocomposites to prevent secondary caries in the application of dental restoration.

PDMS/TiO2 and PDMS/SiO2 Nanocomposites: Mechanical Properties’ Evaluation for Improved Insulating Coatings

“…On the contrary, it has been found through mechanical tests and thermal analyses that the mechanical behavior of polymeric coatings can be enhanced with the formation of nanocomposites by incorporating reinforcements with nanometric dimensions [ 4 ]. Furthermore, numerous investigations have been carried out, searching to modify other physicochemical properties of polysiloxanes, such as hydrophobicity [ 5 ], thermal conduction [ 4 ], antibacterial capacity [ 6 ], gas permeation [ 7 ], antifouling performance [ 8 ], and corrosion control [ 9 ], with nanocomposites being the main pathway that has successfully allowed the enhancement of these properties.…”

Construction of Reinforced Self-Cleaning and Efficient Photothermal PDMS@GDY@Cu Sponges toward Anticorrosion and Antibacterial Applications

“…These functional groups are capable of forming hydrogen bonds with water molecules, and thereby enhancing its hydrophilicity [ 40 ]. Previous work demonstrated that PDMS could remarkably reduce the surface energy of substrates for efficient self-cleaning, and simultaneously enhance their chemical and mechanical stability [ 41 , 42 ]. Here, after the individual incorporation of PDMS, the hydrophobicity of the PDMS@Cu (136.4°, Figure S5 ) slightly improves compared to that for the pristine Cu sponge (127.4°).…”

Designing, Modeling, and Fabrication of a Novel Solar-Concentrating Spittoon against COVID-19 for Antibacterial Sustainable Atmosphere

“…The study suggests that the antibacterial activity of Bi QDs can be significantly improved with the help of light illumination, even at low power density, because of the photothermal effect [20]. The photothermally-assisted superhydrophobic materials have emerged as promising candidates for a range of applications, including oil purification, waste oil collection, and solar desalination, thanks to their easy fabrication, low cost, flexibility, and ability to tune thermal conversion [21].…”