# Toward novel translucent and strong nanostructured dental zirconia

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · 2020 · $256,139

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
The attainment of both translucency and strength is a vital requirement for ceramic restorative materials.
Unfortunately, these properties are often mutually exclusive. Porcelain-based and glass-ceramic materials
have higher translucency but lower strength, and are thus susceptible to premature failure. Zirconia-based
ceramics are stronger and tougher but have poor translucency. There is therefore an urgent need to develop
translucent and strong ceramics for the next generation of better-performing restorative materials. Accordingly,
the long-term goal of this project is to develop esthetic, strong, and abrasion-resistant nanocrystalline yttria-
stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystals (Y-TZP) for dental and biomedical applications. The overall
objectives in this application are: (1) optimize the translucency and strength of nanocrystalline Y-TZP via
compositional and microstructural tailoring; and (2) elucidate microstructure-mechanical properties of Y-TZP at
the nano and microscale levels. To our knowledge, this proposal is the first to systematically address these
questions. The central hypothesis is that nanocrystalline Y-TZP exhibits improved translucency, strength and
reduced abrasiveness relative to its microcrystalline counterparts. This hypothesis is formulated on the basis of
preliminary results produced in the applicants’ laboratories. To test this hypothesis, we will pursue 3 specific
aims: (1) Optimize nanostructured Y-TZP for translucency and strength; (2) Elucidate the dependence of
translucency, strength degradation and toughness on Y-TZP microstructure; and (3) Determine resistance to
fatigue and wear of nanostructured Y-TZP using a mouth-motion simulator. The approach is innovative
because it departs from the status quo by developing a new form of nanocrystalline Y-TZP with improved
translucency and fracture resistance and reduced abrasiveness using novel processing methodologies. The
proposed research is significant because it extends clinical indications for zirconia to the esthetic zone and
promises minimally invasive treatments. Such an approach will prolong prosthetic lifetimes and preserve tooth
structure, thus reducing money and time spent correcting premature failures. As an adjunct benefit, the
development of nanocrystalline Y-TZP will provide a model system for establishing a broader correlation
between mechanical properties and grain size, thus extending classical fracture mechanics laws into the
nanoscale domain.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10273470
- **Project number:** 7R01DE026772-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Yu Zhang
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $256,139
- **Award type:** 7
- **Project period:** 2020-10-01 → 2022-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10273470

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10273470, Toward novel translucent and strong nanostructured dental zirconia (7R01DE026772-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10273470. Licensed CC0.

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