Zinc phosphate cement setting reaction

The zinc phosphate cement dates back to at least 1879, when Rollins reported a formulation based on syrupy orthophosphoric acid [13]. The first really satisfactory cement of this type was reported by Fleck in 1902 [14], His report described a paper based on zinc oxide that had been deactivated by heating, together with a solution of phosphoric acid modified by the inclusion of aluminium and zinc. These two approaches to moderating the reaction led to a setting process that took place at a sufficiently slow speed that a smooth paste could be prepared from the components, and there was time to apply it before hardening took place. 

Zinc phosphate cement consists of finely powdered zinc oxide suspended in phosphoric acid. The setting and hardening of this cement results from a chemical reaction between these two constiments, in which zinc phosphate tetrahydrate is formed as the product of reaction ... 

Park, C.K., Silsbee, M.R., and Roy, D.M. (1998) Setting reaction and resultant structure of zinc phosphate cement in various orthophosphoric acid cement-forming liquids. Cement and Concrete Research 28,141-150. 

Combinations of zinc oxide with concentrated solutions of phosphoric acids also exhibit cementing properties. These zinc phosphate cements can be formulated to set within a few minutes, and develop strength rapidly. Zinc phosphate is formed as a product of the hardening reaction (see also section 12.4). 

Considerable development has occurred on sintered ceramics as bone substitutes. Sintered ceramics, such as alumina-based ones, are uru eactive materials as compared to CBPCs. CBPCs, because they are chemically synthesized, should perform much better as biomaterials. Sintered ceramics are fabricated by heat treatment, which makes it difficult to manipulate their microstructure, size, and shape as compared to CBPCs. Sintered ceramics may be implanted in place but cannot be used as an adhesive that will set in situ and form a joint, or as a material to fill cavities of complicated shapes. CBPCs, on the other hand, are formed out of a paste by chemical reaction and thus have distinct advantages, such as easy delivery of the CBPC paste that fills cavities. Because CBPCs expand during hardening, albeit slightly, they take the shape of those cavities. Furthermore, some CBPCs may be resorbed by the body, due to their high solubility in the biological environment, which can be useful in some applications. CBPCs are more easily manufactured and have a relatively low cost compared to sintered ceramics such as alumina and zirconia. Of the dental cements reviewed in Chapter 2 and Ref. [1], plaster of paris and zinc phosphate... 

Within clinical dentistry, there are several types of cement available, including the zinc phosphate and the zinc polycarboxylate. They share with glass-ionomers the feature of being acid-base cements and setting as the result of a neutralization reaction, and consequently they are hydrophilic by nature [7]. These cements differ from each other in that they have different acid and base components, but they resemble each other in that the acid is always an aqueous solution and the base is a water-insoluble soUd metal oxide powder. The setting reaction, which begins immediately when the components are mixed, involves acid attack on the solid powdered base, and leads to the release of metal ions into the aqueous phase. In this phase, the metal ions interact with the acid (or its anion) to form metal salts, and these are rigid and insoluble. As these salts form, so the overall cement hardens and becomes insoluble in saliva and other aqueous media [7]. 

Dental cements are a diverse class of material of widely different chemistries and applications (2,3). However, all may be classified as acid-base reaction cements formed by mixing a powder(base) with an acidic liquid. A typical example, the traditional zinc phosphate, is the product of the reaction between a zinc oxide powder and a concentrated solution of phosphoric acid. The cement sets, within minutes, as an amorphous zinc orthophosphate gel is formed. 

---