Physico-Mechanical Properties and Bonding Performance of Graphene-Added Orthodontic Adhesives

This study aimed to assess the key physico-mechanical properties and bonding performance of orthodontic adhesives with graphene addition for bonding a fixed retainer. Transbond LR (3M) and Transbond LV (3M) with no graphene were set as the control groups. Graphene was added into LR and LV at concentrations of 0.01 wt%, 0.05 wt% and 0.1 wt%. The stickiness of the uncured samples (n = 5) and real-time degree of conversion (DC) of the samples (n = 3) were measured over a 24-h period using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The hardness and other mechanical parameters, including the Martens hardness (HM), indentation modulus (E _IT), elastic index (η _IT) and creep (C _IT), were measured (n = 5). To measure the shear bond strength (SBS), adhesive composites were applied using a mold to bond the retainer wire to the lingual surfaces of bovine incisors (n = 10). Fracture modes subsequent to the SBS test were examined under light microscopy. Statistical analysis was conducted using ANOVA and Tukey tests (α = 0.05). In the LR groups, the LR + 0.01 showed the highest SBS (12.6 ± 2.0 MPa) and HM (539.4 ± 17.9 N/mm ²), while the LV + 0.05 (7.7 ± 1.1 MPa) had the highest SBS and the LV + 0.1 had the highest HM (312.4 ± 17.8 N/mm ²) among the LV groups. The most frequent failure mode observed was adhesive fracture followed by mixed fracture. No statistical difference was found between the graphene-added groups and the control groups in terms of the E _IT, η _IT and C _IT, except that the C _IT was significantly lower in the LR + 0.01 than in the control group. Graphene addition had no significant adverse effect on the stickiness and DC of both LR and LV.