Abstract:Objective: To study the effect of non-thermal atmospheric plasma jet (NTAP) on the surface characters of lithium disilicate glass ceramics (LDC). Methods: Prepared LDC specimens were randomly divided into 7 groups (n=9): the blank control group, the HF-etching group and the NTAP-treating groups with different treatment time (10 s, 20 s, 30 s, 40 s and 60 s). After different treatments, surface characters of specimens were analyzed by water contact angle test, X-ray diffraction analysis, atomic force microscope and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. Results: Compared with the control group, specimens after HF-etching or NTAP-treating had some changes: the water contact angle values was dropped; the percent of oxygen atomic weight was significantly increased on the LDC surfaces; the oxygen/carbon ratio was increased, without obvious changes of phase transformation and without significant morphological change on the NTAP treated surfaces. Conclusion: NTAP treatment can increase the hydrophilicity of LDC surfaces and increase the oxygen atomic weight on the surface, without phase transformation or significant morphology change of LDC surfaces.
