Adherence properties of acrylic bone cement to alumina ceramics designed for clinical applications

The aim of this study is to investigate the adherence properties of acrylic cement based on PMMA to alumina ceramics. These ceramics are suitable for orthopedic and dental applications, as bioinert components in prosthetic surgery. The surface of alumina specimens were subjected to a special treatment based on acid etched followed by two different fluoride treatments: SnF ₂ and NaBF₄, respectively. The structural properties of Al₂O₃ specimens were investigated before any treatments by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The modification occurred after the chemical treatment was investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The adherence of commercial acrylic cement to both treated alumina specimens was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy upon transversal cutting of the specimens. The results demonstrated that SnF₂ is more favorable with respect to adhesion of PMMA based orthopedic cements.