Microwave‐assisted processing of silicone/PMMA blends for maxillofacial prostheses

Abstract

Maxillofacial prostheses replace soft tissues that were lost due to disease or trauma, providing the restoration of the original anatomy and protecting the injured tissue. Silicone is the most widely used material, but the crosslinking process usually takes 24 hours to be completed. In this study, silicone/poly (methyl-methacrylate) blends were prepared at room temperature and assisted by microwave irradiation. The samples were characterized by confocal Raman microscopy and scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The microwave-assisted crosslinking is completed within 10 minutes and leads to better adhesion between silicone and PMMA than samples processed at room temperature. The methodology was adapted for the fabrication of prostheses for 50 patients with an average lifetime of 3 years, which is higher than the averages reported earlier in the literature (6-24 months).

A new approach of microwave treatment to augment the mechanical properties of polymeric materials

“…The inherent heating brought about by the microwave radiation tries to align the electric dipoles analogous with the alternating electric field of the radiation. [ 21,22 ] This in turn renders the molecules present in the polymer to rearrange them in a more ordered and compact pattern of crystallites. This reflects in the form of increased crystallinity of the polymer and reduced crystallite size after microwave treatment.…”

New cross‐linked poly(methyl methacrylate): Synthesis, characterization, and inhibitory effects against selected bacteria and cancer cells

“…[6] PMMA can also be used in various applications in cosmetics and also used in producing dentures, facial prostheses, and contact lenses. [7,8] Furthermore, it can be treated either alone or loaded with antibiotics as a delivery nondegradable biomaterial. [9] For PMMA products, there is still a controversy about their safety as some consider them carcinogens and can elicit immunological reactions.…”

Influence of different amino functional groups on structural, optical, and morphological properties of PMMA and their nanocomposites

“…[4] To find or synthesize ideal material with desired properties is difficult so the researchers modified the existing polymer through incorporating nanoparticles, [5] blending with other polymers, [6] synthesizing co-polymers [7] and by making modifying their structure changes through different functional groups which may be one of the good options to adopt and termed as functionalization. The functionalized organic polymers have a wide range of applications such as in biomedical applications, [8] self-healing polymer, [9] water purification, [10] drug delivery, [11] CO 2 gas adsorption, [12] maxillofacial prostheses, [13] catalysis, [14] OLED devices, [15] etc. Polymers show several exceptionally good ineradicable characteristics over small molecules, such as plasticity, ductility, heat resistance, solvent resistance, etc.…”