MUSSEL-INSPIRED CATECHOLIC PRIMERS FOR RIGID AND DUCTILE DENTAL RESIN COMPOSITES

In the construction of dental restorative material, surface priming is essential for improving mechanical performance for practical applications. We present catechol functionalized primers for resin composite inspired by interfacial mussel foot proteins. The catecholic primers with different chain end group were designed and coated on the surface using simple process. The surface binding ability and possible crosslinking of the bifunctional primer were evaluated by the knife shear test. Compression tests of dental resin composite using primed glass filler demonstrated the enhanced mechanical properties such as toughness and elastic modulus owing to the bidentate hydrogen bonding of catechol moieties. Furthermore, the superior biocompatibility of the priming surface was confirmed via cell attachment test, thus providing applicability of catecholic primers as dental materials