Synergistic tribo-mechanical enhancement of heat-cured poly(methyl methacrylate) denture base via hybrid in-situ synthesized organic and inorganic nanoparticles

Abstract Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is the primary material for dental applications, but it suffers from limitations such as poor wear resistance and long-term durability. To address these shortcomings, this work presents a new and cost-effective hybrid nanofiller system comprising hydroxyapatite (inorganic nanoparticles) and date seed (organic nanoparticles) for reinforcing PMMA denture bases. This study specifically investigates the reinforcement of heat-polymerized PMMA with this new hybrid nanofiller. Comprehensive material characterization was performed using XRD, DSC, SEM, TEM, and EDX. The findings demonstrate that PMMA composites with 0.2-1 wt% hybrid nanoparticles, particularly at 0.6 wt%, showed enhanced mechanical and tribological performance compared to the pure polymer. Specific improvements included a 30.99% decrease in the coefficient of friction, a 37.39% reduction in wear rate, a 31.92% increase in compressive strength, and a 9.87% improvement in surface hardness.