NANOINDENTATION OF ZIRCONIUM DENTAL CERAMIC PREPARED WITH DIFFERENT FINISHING TECHNIQUES

This paper describes the nanomechanical characteristics of Zirconium (IPS e.max ZirCAD, Ivoclar Vivadent) treated with three different surface finishing techniques: polishing, glazing and grinding, using the Anton Paar nanoindentation. The hardness (HV) and Elastic modulus (E) of the surface structure were presented as results of nanoindentation measurements. Nanoindentation tests were done using Berkovich diamond pyramid and the experiment was organized in a 3x4 array. Indentation imprints were investigated using the optical and Atomic Force Microscopy. Also, AFM analysis was used in order to present the 3D surface topography and roughness parameter Ra. The obtained results show that the nanomechanical properties mostly depend of finishing technique.