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Scientists at the National Research University of Technology have created a flexible, polyurethane-based material that can be used to make orthodontic appliances.
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The university’s media office indicates that this material can also be used as a bio-based coating for various medical devices and equipment. The use of this material will make the costs of the orthodontic process cheaper and faster.
The head of the research team, Marina Gorbunova, says: “The most important thing that distinguishes smart polyurethane materials is their high mechanical durability, biocompatibility, and high ability to restore shape, and control the speed of shape restoration and the force of pressure on the teeth. This reduces the cost of treatment and reduces the duration of use of orthodontic plates and threads.” the teeth”.
The material created by the scientific team is a special polyurethane-based polymer that can return to its original state under certain conditions. This is because the material created by Russian scientists consists of incompatible soft and hard particles, which form a complex nanostructure after cooling to room temperature.
During their work, the scientists studied how heating, other factors, long-term storage, as well as the ratio of hard and soft polymer particles affect the properties of the innovative material. Tests have shown that the mechanical properties of the material can be easily changed by changing the crystalline structure of the fine particles during the heating process.
The researchers point out that this property, as well as the low melting temperature of the crystals, close to the temperature of the human body, inside the smart material makes it very suitable for making orthodontic products.
According to them, the innovation of the material aroused the interest of Russian companies. Therefore, in the near future they plan to produce prototypes of orthodontic products based on smart thermoplastic materials.
Source: TASS
