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. 2018 Mar 5:9:801-808.
doi: 10.3762/bjnano.9.73. eCollection 2018.

Graphene composites with dental and biomedical applicability

Sharali Malik  1 , Felicite M Ruddock  2 , Adam H Dowling  3 , Kevin Byrne  4 , Wolfgang Schmitt  4 , Ivan Khalakhan  5 , Yoshihiro Nemoto  6 , Hongxuan Guo  6 , Lok Kumar Shrestha  6 , Katsuhiko Ariga  6   7 , Jonathan P Hill  6
Affiliations

Graphene composites with dental and biomedical applicability

Sharali Malik et al. Beilstein J Nanotechnol. .

Abstract

Pure graphene in the form of few-layer graphene (FLG) - 1 to 6 layers - is biocompatible and non-cytotoxic. This makes FLG an ideal material to incorporate into dental polymers to increase their strength and durability. It is well known that graphene has high mechanical strength and has been shown to enhance the mechanical, physical and chemical properties of biomaterials. However, for commercial applicability, methods to produce larger than lab-scale quantities of graphene are required. Here, we present a simple method to make large quantities of FLG starting with commercially available multi-layer graphene (MLG). This FLG material was then used to fabricate graphene dental-polymer composites. The resultant graphene-modified composites show that low concentrations of graphene (ca. 0.2 wt %) lead to enhanced performance improvement in physio-mechanical properties - the mean compressive strength increased by 27% and the mean compressive modulus increased by 22%. Herein we report a new, cheap and simple method to make large quantities of few-layer graphene which was then incorporated into a common dental polymer to fabricate graphene-composites which shows very promising mechanical properties.

Keywords: biocompatibility; bioglass; graphene; mechanical properties; nanocomposite.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
a) Raman spectra of MLG (ca. 10 layers, lower) and FLG (1–6 layers, upper) – both at 514 nm. b) Helium ion microscope (HeIM) overview of FLG, c) TEM overview of FLG and d) HRTEM detail of FLG showing a single layer.
Figure 2
Figure 2
a) and b) AFM detail and profile of a multi-layer graphene (MLG) flake, ca. 10 graphene layers, c) and d) AFM detail and profile of a few-layer graphene (FLG) flake, ca. 1–6 graphene layers.
Figure 3
Figure 3
a) GI composite after strength testing made from FLG-polymer A, b) GI composite after strength testing made from FLG-polymer E, c) Raman spectra of GI composite made from FLG-polymer E and GI composite made from FLG-polymer A – both at 514 nm, d) SEM overview of fracture surface of GI composite made from FLG-polymer A, e) SEM overview of fracture surface of GI composite made from FLG-polymer E.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Change in mean compressive fracture strength with increasing graphene concentration.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Change in mean compressive modulus with increasing graphene concentration.
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