Curing method and material compositions having dental and other applications

Abstract

This invention provides a method and material compositions for producing objects containing in whole, or in part, biomedical polymers, especially those having dental use. Microwave sensitive material compositions are injected under pressure into a mold, the mold containing a replica of a body tissue or tissues. While hydraulic pressure is maintained on the material, a microwave source emits metered electromagnetic energy for hardening the material in the 3-dimensionally defined space. For dental and other applications, the mold making, injection and hardening are done sequentially to rapidly produce an object which accurately fits the mold.

We claim:  
     
         1 ) The method and materials to make polymer-based objects, including 
 a) The process, which is the combination of injection, measurable pressure and microwave energy.    b) The compositions used in this process and systems.    
     
     
         2 ) The use of said process and system in  claim 1)  to give high accuracy shape and hardening of polymers and polymer-containing composites.  
     
     
         3 ) The use of a hand-held microwave applicator to harden polymers and polymer-containing composites at the site of application (i.e., intra-oral, orthopedic).  
     
     
         4 ) The compositions of  claim 1  wherein said polymer-based materials, which is suitable for denture base, including one component and two component denture base. Two kinds of denture base consist of mono-, di-, tri-, or multifunctional methacrylate polymers or monomers, cross-linking agent, organic pigments or metal oxides, plasticizers and initiators.  
     
     
         5 ) The composition of  claim 4  wherein said mono-, di-, tri- or multifunctional methacrylate polymers is within the scope of the general formula:  
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
       The R 1  is hydrogen, alkyl, substituted alkyl group, cyclic hydrocarbon, benzyl, ether, hydroxyalkyl, R 2  is hydrogen, halogen, alkyl, substituted alkyl group and n is an integer at least equal to 2.  
     
     
         6 ) The composition of  claim 1  wherein said polymer-based materials, which is suitable for soft denture and consists of orgnaopolysiloxanes and phosphonitrilic fluoroelastomers.  
     
     
         7 ) The composition of  claim 6  wherein said organopolysiloxanes is within the scope of the general formula:  
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
       Wherein m is an integer having a value form 1 to about 6,000; n is an integer having a value form 1 to 6; R 1  is hydrogen or alkyl group, R 2  and R 3  are alkyl groups having 1 to 6 carbons.  
     
     
         8 ) The composition of  claim 6  wherein said phosphonitrilic fluoroelastomers is within the scope of general formula:  
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
       wherein X is H or F, and n is usually from 1 to 11 and  
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
       wherein n is 3,5,7,9, or 11, and m is from 10,000 to 50,000.  
     
     
         9 ) The composition in  claim 1  wherein said polymer-based materals, which is suitable for use as composite resins, comprised of a polymer matrix, fillers, initiator and coupling agent.  
     
     
         10 ) The composition in  claim 9  wherein said polymer matrix is a polymerizable resin suitable for use in the oral environment, which includes 2,2-bis[4-(2-hydroxy-3-methacrylyloxpropoxy)phenyl]propane (BisGMA), ethylenehlycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) and triethyleneglycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA), eutectic monomers, hydrophobic monomers, urethane dimethacrylate resins, spiro orthocarbontes, organo-esters of phosphorus.  
     
     
         11 ) The composition in  claim 9  wherein said fillers comprise comprise (silica) calcium, strontium, lanthanum, barium, rare earth, alumina, silicate in crystalline, or in aluminosilicate with a zeolite structure, and fluoride of the rare earth metals or mixtures of such fluorides (glass pyrogenicaly produced, ceramics, zirconium, gold, silver, or silver-tin alloys.  
     
     
         12 ) The weight % of the organic filler, as an overall weight of the composite, being in the range of 30 to 96%, but preferably in the range of 50 to 85%.  
     
     
         13 ) The particle size of fillers in  claim 11  ranging from 0.04 micrometers to approximately 10 micrometers; preferably being distributed between 1 and 7 micrometers.  
     
     
         14 ) The composition of  claim 9  wherein said initiator comprises microwave sensitive compounds, which include but are not limited to benzoyl peroxide, dilauroyl peroxide, (tert-butyl peroctoate or tert-butyl perbenzoate, 2,4-dichorobenzoyl peroxide and 4,4=-dechlorobenzoyl peroxide) in the weight range of the composition of 0.05% to 1.0%, preferably in the range of 0.09 to 0.5%,  
     
     
         16 ) The composition in  claim 9  wherein said accelerators include but are not limited to amine accelerators, comprising N, N-diethenol-p-toluidine, or triethylamine.  
     
     
         17 ) The composition in  claim 9  wherein said couplers include but are not limited to polyfunctional agents, such as gamma-methoxypropylene silane.  
     
     
         18 ) The composition in  claim 17  wherein said coupler contains an Si—O functionality and an ethylenically unsaturated group  
     
     
         19 ) The composition in  claim 9  wherein said couplers consist of thiomethacryulates.