Influence of Silver Nanoparticles on Color Stability of Room-Temperature-Vulcanizing Maxillofacial Silicone Subjected to Accelerated Artificial Aging

In this in vitro study, we assessed the color stability of an A-2186 room-temperature-vulcanizing (RTV) silicone elastomer by incorporating silver nanoparticles during accelerated artificial aging. Using five intrinsic silicone pigment types, including no pigment (colorless), red, blue, mocha, and a combination of the three, we created 160 disk-shaped specimens. These were evenly distributed across 20 experimental groups, each containing 8 samples (n = 8). The specimens underwent aging for 250 and 500 h in an artificial aging chamber. A colorimeter was used to measure the values of L*a*b* according to the Commission Internationale de L’Éclairage (CIE) standards. The 50:50% perceptibility threshold (∆E* = 1.1) and acceptability threshold (∆E* = 3.0) were used in the interpretation of the recorded color differences. At the 0.05 level of significance, the one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey post hoc test were used in the statistical analysis. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy with attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR) showed that 0.2% AgNPs after 500 h of aging protected the silicone elastomer matrix and all characteristic bonds of the silicone elastomer. In contrast, silicone without AgNPs showed the distortion of all bonds after 500 h. Chromatic alterations (∆E* > 0) were observed in all specimen groups, surpassing the perceptible threshold (1.1 units), except for mocha, with 0.2% AgNPs after 250 h of aging, which remained below the perceptible threshold (∆E* = 0.97). All groups demonstrated ∆E* values below the acceptable threshold, except for the red color, which exhibited a highly significant color change (p = 0.000). This study determined that all specimens, including colorless silicone, underwent color changes (∆E* > 0), with red displaying a notably significant chromatic alteration. Additionally, AgNPs demonstrated substantial protection of the silicone and reduced the color change across all groups and colors, with enhanced efficacy corresponding to higher AgNP concentrations (0.2% AgNPs > 0.15% AgNPs > 0.1% AgNPs).