Jake Willett
Contact information
Thesis title
Multiscale Simulation of Curing, Rheological and Mechanical Behaviour of Dental Resin Composites
Research overview
Dental Resin Composites (DRCs) are a prominent class of dental restorations that provide versatility, performance and aesthetics in a post-Amalgam world. The transition away from Mercury-based restorations means there is great desire for the improvement of DRCs when it comes to longevity. A myriad of studies have been conducted to experimentally determine optimal ratios of monomers, shape and size of filler content and methods of curing in DRC thermoset systems. However, the total list of variables means the material parameter space is vast. This means the already time-intensive experimental work cannot traverse this space in a costly manner. This work aims to use multiscale simulations to model the nanoscale and mesoscale behaviour of DRCs. Molecular Dynamic (MD) simulations will be used to emulate the curing mechanism at the resin-filler interface. These simulations will be used to generate microparameters to inform mesocale simulations of the bulk DRC material, with the goal of validating experimental results and therefore extending to the prediction of future idealised DRC compositions.
My PhD project is a collaboration between the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Melbourne Dental School and an industry partner (SDI Ltd), as part of the National Industry-based PhD program.
Supervisors
Qualifications
B.Sci Physics/Dip. Music, University of Melbourne, Australia (2021)