Cytotoxic effects on human dental pulp stem Cells after exposure to adhesive bonding agents.

Studies regarding cytotoxic effects attributed to the use of adhesive bonding agents on pulp tissue are not conclusive. To point out whether these materials are safe for clinical use, in vivo exposure of dental pulp to adhesive bonding agents was simulated using an experimental setup in which Human Dental Pulp Stem Cells (hDPSC) are exposed to the action of two kinds of adhesives: self-etching adhesives and two-step bonding agents through a dentine barrier. Cytotoxic effects on these cells were evaluated by MTT assay protocol and fluorescence microscopy, and their results were contrasted to those obtained through Raman spectra taken on single hDPSCs.

Depth-sensitive subsurface imaging of polymer nanocomposites using second harmonic Kelvin probe force microscopy.

We study the depth sensitivity and spatial resolution of subsurface imaging of polymer nanocomposites using second harmonic mapping in Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (KPFM). This method allows the visualization of the clustering and percolation of buried Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes (SWCNTs) via capacitance gradient (∂C/∂z) maps. We develop a multilayered sample where thin layers of neat Polyimide (PI) (∼80 nm per layer) are sequentially spin-coated on well-dispersed SWCNT/Polyimide (PI) nanocomposite films.