Novel bioinspired composites fabricated by robocasting for dental applications

Ceramic/polymer dental composites inspired on the microstructure of human enamel are produced by robocasting combined with polymer infiltration. Robocasting is first used to additively manufacture a network of interconnected hydroxyapatite (HAp) rods aligned perpendicular to the occlusal surface, mimicking the natural material. A co-continuous composite is then obtained by immersing the sintered ceramic skeleton in an epoxy resin bath that is subsequently cured. The mechanical performance of the resulting bioinspired composite was evaluated through biaxial bending and sliding-wear tests. The results obtained are compared with those of two commercial dental composites. Despite being a first prototype, the bioinspired material exhibited mechanical properties very close, both in terms of biaxial strength (63 ± 4 MPa) and wear resistance (specific wear rate (7 ± 2)·10−5 mm3/Nm), to the commercial solutions. The proposed ground-breaking strategy appears, then, as a very promising alternative for the production of innovative dental composites with near-net shape and improved durability.