Investigation of photophysical and mechanical properties of functional bimaterials

In this thesis, the photophysical and mechanical properties of two different functional biomaterials, namely bone cement and dental filling, were investigated. Photophysical analyses were carried out using a FY-UV 500 UV light source (with wavelengths of 254, 365, and 400 nm) and a Shimadzu UV-1800 spectrophotometer, where absorption edge, optical band gap (Eg), refractive index (n), contrast (αc), and sensitivity (S) parameters were calculated. The results indicated that the dental filling samples exhibited strong photoluminescence response in the visible region with an optical band gap of ~3.45 eV, whereas the bone cement samples showed a higher band gap ~3.5 eV and a stronger absorption in the infrared region. For mechanical evaluation, only the Vickers hardness test (ASTM E92) was performed. The results showed that dental filling samples exhibited hardness values in the range of 80–100 HV, while bone cement samples displayed relatively lower values, around 60–70 HV. This indicates that dental filling provides higher surface resistance, whereas bone cement exhibits a more brittle structure with better biological compatibility. Overall, this study provides essential insights into the design of light-sensitive and biocompatible functional biomaterials for potential applications in dental and orthopedic implants. KEYWORDS: Functional biomaterial, UV-Vis spectroscopy, optical band gap, dental filling, bone cement, mechanical properties, photoluminescence, IR imaging.