University of Colorado

Diana Leung

Christopher Bowman

Christopher J Kloxin

Hee Young Park

The invention provides methods of reducing shrinkage stress in cross-linked polymerized materials by combining an addition-fragmentation chain transfer additive with a resin system prior to polymerization. The methods of the invention can improve the performance of conventional resin systems by reducing the shrinkage stress without significantly degrading the mechanical properties of the polymerized material. The shrinkage stress in the crosslinked polymeric materials produced by the methods of the invention may be from 25% to 75% of that of a control material produced by polymerization of the resin system alone to the same conversion.

Reducing polymerization-induced shrinkage stress by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer

The invention provides methods for inducing reversible chain cleavage of polymer chains in a crosslinked polymeric material or during polymerization of a polymeric material. Reversible cleavage of the polymer backbone is capable of relieving stress in the polymeric material as the bonds reform in a less stressed state. The invention also provides mixtures for making crosslinked polymeric materials, methods for making polymeric materials capable of reversible chain cleavage, materials made by the methods of the invention, and linear monomers containing reversible chain cleavage groups which are useful in the materials and methods of the invention. The mixtures of the invention may be dental restorative compositions used for forming dental restorative materials.

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Tuscaloosa, AL, United States of America

Diana Leung