Journal of Dental Research, Vol 76, 610-616, Copyright © 1997 by International & American Associations for Dental Research Online Journals
Surface characterization of amalgam made with Hg-In liquid alloy
H. Nakajima, Y. Akaiwa, H. Hashimoto, J. L. Ferracane and T. Okabe
Department of Biomaterials Science, Baylor College of Dentistry-Texas A&M University System, Dallas.
When amalgam was triturated with Hg-In liquid alloys instead of pure
mercury, the resultant amalgams released a significantly smaller amount of
mercury vapor during setting. To understand the mechanisms responsible for
the drastic decrease in mercury evaporation from the In-containing amalgam,
we used Auger Electron Spectroscopy to examine surface oxide films on
amalgams made with Hg-10 wt% In or pure mercury. The surface of the
In-containing amalgam was rapidly covered with both indium and tin oxide
films. Greater amounts of oxygen were found on the gamma 1 Ag-Hg matrix in
the In-containing amalgam than in the amalgam without indium. The rapid
formation of the oxide film contributes to a reduction in the mercury
release from the In-containing amalgam by forming an effective barrier to
evaporation.
