New Families of Photocurable Oligomeric Fluoromonomers for Use in Dental Composites

摘要

Since their discovery in the 1930s, fluoropolymers have evolved from curiosities to essential specialty materials. The initial utility of fluoropolymers relied on their excellent resistance to aggressive chemical environments. However, the combination of low surface energy with other unique properties, such as thermal and oxidative stability, low coefficients of thermal expansion and friction, and low dielectric constants, has led to a great diversity of applications for fluorine-rich polymers. Due to the advantageous blend of chemical inertness, including extreme hydrophobicity, with generally good biocompatibility, fluoropolymers have become widely utilized as components of medical devices. As the demand for advanced fluoropolymers with specific physical properties has grown, the molecular design of new types of fluorinated monomers has become an important area in synthetic polymer chemistry. In biomaterials, the requirements for durable fluoropolymers include high hydrophobicity, chemical and physical resistance, mechanical strength, and resilience along with low surface energy, polymerization shrinkage, toxicity, and abrasion. In this study, we have focused on the development of new families of oligomeric fluoromonomers designed to improve the performance of aesthetic polymeric dental restorative materials.