Effects of feldspathic ceramic toughness by addition of silver and titanium nanoparticles

The porcelain is brittle and in many situations requires replacement in fractured or chipped restorations. The prospects exist in improving the strength of feldspathic porcelain to widen its applications. This study evaluated the fracture toughness of feldspathic porcelain, incorporated with silver and titanium nanoparticles at varying concentrations (0.5wt%, 1wt%, 1.5wt%, 2wt %). Test specimen dimensions were standardized to ASTM C1421 – 16 standards and a three-point flexure test was done to evaluate fracture toughness. 330 samples were fabricated and were broadly divided into three groups. Group I (titanium nano particles) and Group II (silver nano particles) were further subdivided into 5 groups(0wt%, 0.5wt%, 1wt%, 1.5wt%, 2wt %) for fracture toughness analysis and each group consist of 30 samples. Group III contained the superior concentration of both titanium and silver nanoparticles. The fracture toughness (KIC) was calculated using indentation fracture method and microstructure observations were made with scanning electron microscopy. The observed values of KIC were compared and evaluated using 1-way ANOVA. The results obtained were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey’s HSD Post hoc test multiple comparisons test. The mean values of Group I, Group II and Group III were found to be 1.949 MPa.m1/2, 2.002 MPa.m1/2 and 1.330 MPa.m1/2. The test results revealed that the samples reinforced with titanium and silver nanoparticles showed significant increase in fracture toughness. The blending of superior concentration of both titanium and silver nanoparticles lead decreased the fracture resistance.