Miserite Glass-Ceramic for Dental Applications

Glass-ceramics (GCs) are polycrystalline materials containing a residual glass phase formed by the controlled devitrification of a glass. They have the potential to possess a fine grained and randomly oriented crystal structure, associated with little or no porosity and good mechanical properties. The crystal numbers, sizes and growth rates are controlled by the time and temperature used in the ceramming heat treatment. Some GCs are based on chain silicates such as jade minerals nephrite and jadeite that are well known for their excellent strength and resistance to crack propagation.These GCs have similar microstructures of randomly oriented inter locked rod or blade-shaped crystals, which provide the basis for several families of GCs with high fracture toughness. Miserite is a member of this family of chain silicates. It is regarded as a complex chain silicate. Miserite can be used as a potential biomaterial, since miserite has good mechanical properties and can be used for applications where mechanical strength and stability are required.The current study has shown that particle size and heat treatment schedules are major factors in controlling the synthesis of miserite.