UNALTERED FRICTIONAL FORCE BETWEEN GRAPHENE OXIDE-COATED STAINLESS STEEL WIRES AND ORTHODONTIC BRACKET IN ACIDIC pH
Author(s): Ahmed Mohamed Fadl Abozor
Abstract
The pH of the saliva has been an important consideration in the physical and chemical behavior of orthodontic components, specifically, in the frictional force of wires. In orthodontics, any material that reduces friction is generally favorable. Graphene Oxide (GO) is a promising nano-material for its anti-corrosive property. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of pH on frictional force of GO-coated stainless steel (ss) wires. This study tested a total of 60 straight 0.017 x 0.025 ss orthodontic wires. Samples were divided into 2 major groups: G1- uncoated and G2-GO-coated ss wires. Spray technique was used to coat the experimental group (G2) with GO. Each group was further subdivided into 2 subgroups, G1A, G2A and G1B and G2B with 15 samples each. The groups G1A and G2A were soaked in artificial saliva with a pH of 5.5, while groups G1B and G2B were soaked in artificial saliva with a pH of 6.8 for 24 hours. The samples were stored in an incubator with a temperature maintained at 37°C for 21 days. SEM was performed randomly in two pre-test and post-test samples from each subgroup. A pull test utilizing the Universal Testing Machine was employed to measure the frictional force of the samples. ANOVA was used to compare friction force of the uncoated and GO-coated wires at different pH levels with a confidence interval of 95% and a p-value of ≤ 0.05. The results of the current study concluded that there was no difference in frictional force between GO-coated (pH5.5 M=1.46, SD=0.22; pH6.8 M=1.35, SD=0.08) and uncoated (pH5.5 M=1.49, SD=0.28; pH6.8 M=1.38, SD=0.14) wires at different pH levels.