Effects of sulfuric and vinyl sulfonic acid etchants on bond strength of resin composite to polyetherketoneketone

This study aims to evaluate the effects of etching with sulfuric acid (SA) and vinyl sulfonic acid (VSA) on the bond strength between a light-curing indirect resin composite and polyetherketoneketones (PEKK). PEKK specimens were ground with 600 silicon carbide papers, etched with 90% SA for 5 s (90-5 SA) or 95% VSA for 30 s (95-30 VSA), and then modified with a phosphate primer; afterward, a light-curing resin composite was veneered on the specimens. Two control groups were also prepared without etching (unetched/unprimed and unetched/primed). After 20,000 thermocycles in water at 4 and 60 °C, the shear bond strengths of the specimens were determined and subjected to a nonparametric (Steel–Dwass) test (α = 0.05, n = 8). The etched surfaces were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) at 2000× magnification. Higher bond strengths were obtained when the PEKK surface was etched with 90-5 SA or 95-30 VSA (90-5 SA/unprimed 24.3 ± 4.3 MPa, 90-5 SA/primed 26.2 ± 3.2 MPa, 95-30 VSA/unprimed 23.7 ± 2.5 MPa, 95-30 VSA/primed 24.3 ± 4.1 MPa), and these values were not statistically different, whereas the two control groups exhibited significantly lower bond strengths (unetched/unprimed 12.2 ± 1.7 MPa, unetched/primed 9.5 ± 2.7 MPa). SEM observations revealed that 95-30 VSA led to a microporous (felt-like) surface, which was different from the surface structure etched with 90-5 SA. Etching the PEKK surface with SA or VSA significantly improved the bond strength between resin composite and PEKK in contrast with the application of the phosphate primer. Appropriate chemical etching could be a useful option when fabricating prostheses using PEKK-based materials and indirect resin composites.