Influence of Molecular Weight of PMMA in PMMA/MMA-TBB Resin on Durability of Adhesion to Titanium against Thermal Stress in Water

The present study examined the effect of the molecular weight of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) used in PMMA/ MMA-tributylborane (TBB) resin cement on the durability of adhesion to titanium against repeated thermal stress in water. PMMA beads with the same diameter and molecular weights of 1427, 239, 116, 78, and 66 (x 10(3)) were used. Titanium disks bonded to stainless steel or acrylic rods with the PMMA/MMA-TBB resin were subjected to a thermal cycling test (500 and 2,000 cycles) in water followed by tensile testing. Change in molecular weight of the resin cements collected after thermocycling and tensile testing was examined using size exclusion chromatography (SEC). The acrylic specimens exhibited a significant decrease in post-thermocycling bond strength as compared to the stainless steel specimens. It was also found that the molecular weight of PMMA powder in PMMA/MMA-TBB resin had little influence on adhesion durability to titanium. In terms of the molecular weight of resin cements, they decreased and then increased after 500 and 2,000 cycles respectively.