In vitro and in vivo evaluation of diamond-coated strips

ABSTRACT Objective: To test in vitro and in vivo the wear performance of diamond-coated strips by means of tribological testing and scanning electronic microscope (SEM). Materials and Methods: To evaluate the in vitro wear performance, a tribological test was performed by a standard tribometer. The abrasive strips slid against stationary, freshly extracted premolars fixed in resin blocks, at a 2-newton load. At the end of the tribological test, the residual surface of the strip was observed by means of SEM analysis, which was performed every 50 meters until reaching 300 meters. For the in vivo analysis, the strip was used for 300 seconds, corresponding to 250 meters. Results: The strips presented a fenestrated structure characterized by diamond granules alternating with voids. After the first 50 meters, it was possible to observe tooth material deposited on the surface of the strips and a certain number of abrasive grains detached. The surface of the strip after 250 meters appeared smoother and therefore less effective in its abrasive power. After 300 seconds of in vivo utilization of the strip, it was possible to observe the detachment of diamond abrasive grains, the near absence of the grains and, therefore, loss of abrasive power. Conclusions: Under ideal conditions, after 5 minutes (300 meters) of use, the strip loses its abrasive capacity by about 60%. In vivo, a more rapid loss of abrasive power was observed due to the greater load applied by the clinician in forcing the strip into the contact point.

Study on Mechanical Polishing for CVD Diamond Films of Forming Nucleus Surface and Growing Surface

In the present work, high power DC arc plasma jet chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is used to prepare diamond films with full width half magnitude (FWHM) less than 10 wave numbers at 1332 cm−1 Raman peak. During the polishing process, diamond film is hold against the stainless steel holder, which rotates and swings when the sample comes into contact with the cast-iron plate. Average surface roughness of the forming nucleus polished surface and growing polished surface is 560nm, 90nm respectively. And the materials removal rate is quite different. Fine crystal grain of the forming nucleus surface and the thick column crystal of growing surface are dominant in structure. In the meantime, effects of the size of the abrasive power, the applied force and polishing direction are also discussed. A profilometer, an Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and a scanning electron microscope have been used to evaluate the surface states of diamond films before and after polishing. This result reveals an. improvement of polishing efficiency and a great potential for commercial application.