Enhanced bioactivity and hydrothermal aging resistance of Y-TZP ceramics for dental implant.

Although yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystals (Y-TZP) ceramics have been widely used as restorative materials due to their high mechanical strength, unique esthetic effect, and good biocompatibility, their general application to implant materials is still limited by their biological inertness and hydrothermal aging phenomenon. Existing studies have attempted to investigate how to enhance the bioactivity or hydrothermal aging resistance of Y-TZP. Still, more studies need to be done on the modification that combines these two aspects. In this study, Y-TZP was prepared by 77S bioactive glass (BG) sol and akermanite (AKT) sol infiltration and microwave sintering, which provided Y-TZP with high bioactivity while maintaining resistance to hydrothermal aging. Results of phase composition evaluation, microstructural characteristics, and mechanical property tests showed that modified Y-TZP specimens exhibited little or no tetragonal-to-monoclinic (t → m) transformation and maintained relatively high mechanical properties after accelerated hydrothermal aging treatment. The in vitro biological behaviors showed that the introduction of 77S BG and AKT significantly promoted cell adhesion, spreading, viability, and proliferation on the surface of modified Y-TZP ceramics. Therefore, this modification could effectively enhance the bioactivity and hydrothermal aging resistance of Y-TZP ceramics for its application in dental implant materials.