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    Biomedical Imaging and Instrumentation

    Development of a Self-Cleaning Membrane Coated Smart Periodontal Probe

    (E-179) Development of a Self-Cleaning Membrane Coated Smart Periodontal Probe

    Saturday, October 14, 2023
    9:30 AM – 10:30 AM PDT
    Location: Exhibit Hall - Row E - Poster # 179

      Presenting Author(s)

    • RG

      Ryan Goodman

      Student
      Binghamton University
      Cazenovia, New York, United States

      • Primary Investigator(s)

    • AK

      Ahyeon Koh

      Assistant Professor
      Binghamton University, United States

    Introduction:: Although there have been few recent breakthroughs in the development of smart periodontal probes, current designs rely on the use of a disposable probe tip [2]. This necessity to replace the tip after every use increases the manufacturing cost and cross contamination among measurements. Implementation of a self-cleaning functionality to the smart periodontal probe will allow for dental practices to diagnose and treat periodontal disease far more accurately. Development of a biocompatible superhydrophobic coating would minimize bacterial adhesion and cross-contamination between patients. Here, we developed a 3D printed frame coated with a hydrophobic coating utilizing polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) that shows potential for self-cleaning properties on electronic periodontal probes [1].

    Materials and Methods::

    Periodontal probe frame prototypes were manufactured using a Formlab Form 3+ printer. They were designed as cylinders with diameters from 0.6 mm to 1 mm and lengths of 12 mm. Electronic components were printed using a Voltera V-One printer using Conductor 3 silver ink.


    1 g of PDMS solution was created using a mass ratio of 10:1 between the base and curing agent. It was stirred for 15 minutes to ensure equal distribution of the curing agent. The sample was refrigerated for 15 minutes and placed in a vacuum chamber for 30 minutes to remove any air bubbles. The PDMS solution was mixed into 30 ml of tetrahydrofuran (THF) solution. The sample was sonicated while 70 ml of water dripped into it. 


    Glass slides were dip coated in the solution. This was accomplished by suspending the slides such that half of the slide was submerged in the solution for 30 minutes. The samples were placed in an oven for 30 minutes at 100° C. Samples were then cooled to room temperature.


    Half of the samples were rubbed with 150-grit sandpaper for 30 seconds, increasing the surface roughness of the coating. The samples were placed on a goniometer and tested using a 4 μL drop of water. The water contact angle was recorded for 10 seconds at 51 frames per second and the average was taken. These results were compared to the contact angle of 10:1 PDMS placed on a glass slide and an unmodified glass slide.



    Results, Conclusions, and Discussions::

    Dip coating the glass slide in the PDMS solution resulted in a successful coating of the surface. Performing water contact angle (WCA) testing yielded the following results: The unmodified glass slide had a WCA of 13.5°, the 10:1 solid PDMS had a WCA of 106.9°, the PDMS coating had a WCA of 112.5°, and the PDMS coating exposed to sandpaper had a WCA of 122.6°. 


    Although these results did not reach the threshold of 150 degrees necessary for superhydrophobicity and self-cleaning, there were still successful elements to the study. The dip coating method used was reliable in successfully coating the slides with PDMS. The use of sandpaper to increase surface roughness of the coating was also effective, showing a noticeable increase in water contact angle. 


    Future research will include incorporating different materials, such as graphene nanoparticles or carnauba wax, into the PDMS coating in order to alter the surface properties. Future research will also include studying the effect of different grit sandpapers and other methods of surface modification on hydrophobicity. Research must also be done to ensure the compatibility of the coating with the electronic components used as sensors.



    Acknowledgements (Optional): : This research is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF; CEBET #2238173)

    References (Optional): :

    [1] Gao, S., Dong, X., Huang, J., Li, S., Li, Y., Chen, Z., & Chen, Z. (2018). Rational construction of highly transparent superhydrophobic coatings based on a non-particle, fluorine-free and water-rich system for versatile oil-water separation. Chemical Engineering Journal, 333, 621–629. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2017.10.006


    [2] Ritzert, N. L., Rani, A., Ko, T., Kim, J. J., & Kim, S. (2022). Multifunctional periodontal probes and their handheld electronic system for simultaneous temperature, ph, and depth measurements. Journal of the Electrochemical Society, 169(2), 027515. https://doi.org/10.1149/1945-7111/ac50e4