A hydrophobized mouth mirror and a method of making the same

Abstract

The application discloses a hydrophobized mouth mirror and a preparation method thereof. The mouth mirror comprises a mouth mirror base and a polysiloxane coating modified on the mouth mirror base. The application modifies the siloxane with a terminal group reaction group on the mouth mirror by a wiping method, rapidly hydrophobically modifies the mouth mirror surface, can make the mouth mirror surface have obvious dynamic repellency to blood drops, so that bloodstains can quickly and non-residually slide off the mouth mirror surface. Meanwhile, due to the lubricating effect of the liquid-like, water can easily slide on the hydrophobically modified mouth mirror surface with an inclined angle without any adhesion phenomenon; and compared with the unmodified mouth mirror, the application can realize the rapid removal of water drops by grafting the siloxane with a terminal group reaction group on the mouth mirror surface, so as to reduce the water accumulation on the mouth mirror surface.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of engineering technology (materials) and relates to a hydrophobic mouth mirror and its preparation method. Specifically, it relates to a mirror-modified mouth mirror to reduce water vapor and other substances from contaminating the mirror surface, thereby maintaining a good field of vision and improving work efficiency. Background Technology

[0002] As one of the most basic instruments in dentistry, the oral mirror is essential for oral examination and treatment. Its primary function is to reflect light, allowing observation of areas inaccessible by direct line of sight, such as the lingual, palatal, and distal surfaces of teeth. Secondly, it can converge light, reflecting it onto the area to be examined to increase local brightness. Thirdly, the oral mirror can also retract soft tissues such as the lips, cheeks, and tongue to facilitate examination or surgery.

[0003] Currently used microscope mouth mirrors are divided into two categories. One is a regular mouth mirror (disposable mouth mirror), whose reflective interface is on the back surface of the lens. After double reflection with the front surface glass, it is easy to form a ghost image. The other is a special microscope mouth mirror, which is a surface reflection mouth mirror. Its reflective interface is on the front surface of the lens, and the image quality is intact and the image will not be distorted.

[0004] When a mouth mirror is used in the oral cavity, it is not only affected by saliva, but also by the water vapor sprayed from turbine or ultrasonic instruments, which can blur the mirror surface. Furthermore, tooth structure removed during treatment, as well as debris from fillings, can splash onto the mirror surface, causing contamination and significantly impacting the field of view. The ability of the mouth mirror to provide a clear view is crucial for treatment. Therefore, dentists need to spend a significant amount of time cleaning the mouth mirror during treatment, greatly reducing work efficiency. In some cases, unclear vision can even lead to errors in decision-making or operation during treatment, resulting in irreversible damage to the patient's teeth.

[0005] Low-adhesion hydrophobic surfaces can effectively reduce droplet adhesion. Liquid-like polymer brush coatings, prepared by grafting hydrophobic, flexible polymeric materials onto solid surfaces in the form of polymer brushes, hold promise for solving the aforementioned problems. However, the use of mouthpieces often requires simplicity and speed. Therefore, how to achieve rapid hydrophobic and anti-fogging modification of mouthpieces without generating toxic substances has become a pressing technical challenge in this field. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To address the aforementioned technical problems, the present invention provides a mouth mirror comprising a mouth mirror substrate and a polysiloxane coating modified on the mouth mirror substrate. Preferably, the polysiloxane coating is modified on the mouth mirror substrate by end-group reactive groups.

[0007] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the end-group reactive groups of the polysiloxane coating are covalently grafted onto the mouthpiece substrate.

[0008] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the polysiloxane coating is prepared by grafting a siloxane with terminal reactive groups onto a mouthpiece substrate.

[0009] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the siloxane having terminal reactive groups is selected from low molecular weight chlorosilane double-terminated silane monomers (such as at least one of dichlorodimethylsilane, 1,3-dichlorotetramethyldisiloxane and dimethoxydimethylsilane) or high molecular weight single-terminated siloxanes (such as trimethoxy-terminated polysiloxane or vinyl-terminated polysiloxane).

[0010] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the mass-average molecular weight of the high molecular weight single-terminal siloxane is 1,000 to 100,000, with examples being 1,000, 3,000, 5,000, 8,000, 10,000, 20,000, 50,000, and 100,000.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the thickness of the coating is 1 to 10 nm, preferably 3 to 10 nm, and exemplarily 7 nm.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the mouthpiece is prepared by grafting a polysiloxane coating with a siloxane having terminal reactive groups onto a mouthpiece substrate.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the grafting method involves coating a siloxane solution containing terminal reactive groups onto a mouth lens substrate. For example, the coating can be applied by brushing or wiping. Exemplarily, a brush, non-woven fabric, or lens paper is immersed in a siloxane solution containing terminal reactive groups, and then the surface of the mouth lens substrate is wiped using the brush, non-woven fabric, or lens paper. Furthermore, the wiping time can be 15–120 seconds, exemplarily 15 seconds, 30 seconds, 45 seconds, 60 seconds, or 120 seconds.

[0014] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the concentration of the siloxane having terminal reactive groups in the solution is 0.5 to 20 wt%, with examples being 0.5 wt%, 1 wt%, 2 wt%, 5 wt%, 8 wt%, 10 wt%, and 20 wt%.

[0015] According to embodiments of the present invention, the solution may further contain an acid catalyst. For example, the acid catalyst includes molecules capable of generating hydrogen ions, such as at least one of hydrochloric acid, Lewis acids, and chlorosilanes.

[0016] In one embodiment of the invention, the acid catalyst may be the same as a siloxane having terminal reactive groups. For example, the acid catalyst may be dichlorodimethylsilane or 1,3-dichlorotetramethyldisiloxane.

[0017] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the concentration of the acid catalyst in the solution is 0.1 to 5 wt%, with exemplary concentrations of 0.1 wt%, 0.2 wt%, 0.5 wt%, 1 wt%, 2 wt%, and 5 wt%.

[0018] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the solvent used in the solution is a low-toxicity or non-toxic organic solvent, such as at least one of isopropanol, ethanol and ethylene glycol.

[0019] The present invention also provides a method for preparing the above-mentioned mouth mirror, comprising modifying a mouth mirror substrate with a siloxane solution containing terminal reactive groups to obtain a mouth mirror with a polysiloxane coating on its surface.

[0020] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the modification can be performed by coating. For example, the coating can be applied by brushing or wiping. Exemplarily, a brush, nonwoven fabric, or lens paper is immersed in a siloxane solution with terminal reactive groups, and then the surface of the lens substrate is wiped using the brush, nonwoven fabric, or lens paper. For example, the wiping time can be 15–120 seconds, exemplarily 15 seconds, 30 seconds, 45 seconds, 60 seconds, or 120 seconds.

[0021] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the solvent used in the solution is a low-toxicity organic solvent, such as at least one of isopropanol, ethanol and ethylene glycol.

[0022] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the concentration of the siloxane having terminal reactive groups in the solution is 0.5 to 20 wt%, with examples being 0.5 wt%, 1 wt%, 2 wt%, 5 wt%, 8 wt%, 10 wt%, and 20 wt%.

[0023] According to embodiments of the present invention, the solution may further contain an acid catalyst. For example, the acid catalyst includes molecules capable of generating hydrogen ions, such as at least one of hydrochloric acid, Lewis acids, and chlorosilanes.

[0024] In one embodiment of the invention, the acid catalyst may be the same as a siloxane having terminal reactive groups. For example, the acid catalyst may be dichlorodimethylsilane or 1,3-dichlorotetramethyldisiloxane.

[0025] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the concentration of the acid catalyst in the solution is 0.1 to 20 wt%, with exemplary concentrations of 0.1 wt%, 0.2 wt%, 0.5 wt%, 1 wt%, 2 wt%, 5 wt%, 8 wt%, 10 wt%, and 20 wt%.

[0026] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the method for preparing the mouth mirror further includes washing and drying the surface of the mouth mirror. For example, the solvent for washing is water.

[0027] The beneficial effects of this invention:

[0028] The high molecular chain mobility of silicone-based liquid polymer brushes allows them to exhibit self-lubricating properties without the need for liquid lubricants. Furthermore, their excellent waterproof properties and good chemical and mechanical stability have made them a popular new strategy for developing antifouling coating technologies. Specifically:

[0029] (1) The present invention provides a simple method for rapidly hydrophobically modifying the surface of a mouth mirror by wiping. Due to the lubricating effect of the liquid-like substance, water can easily slide on the hydrophobically modified mouth mirror surface with an inclined angle without any adhesion. Compared with the unmodified mouth mirror, the present invention can achieve rapid removal of water droplets by grafting siloxane with end-group reactive groups onto the mouth mirror surface, thereby reducing the amount of water accumulation on the mouth mirror surface.

[0030] (2) The present invention further studied the cleaning effect when there are stains on the surface of the mouth mirror. Taking the complete removal of stains as the standard, the amount of water used in the cleaning process of the mouth mirror surface before and after the mouth mirror was modified with siloxane with end-group reactive groups was studied. The results showed that the amount of water used in the stain cleaning process could be significantly reduced after the mouth mirror surface was modified with siloxane with end-group reactive groups.

[0031] (3) By modifying the mouthpiece with siloxanes having terminal reactive groups, the present invention enables the mouthpiece surface to have obvious dynamic repulsion to blood droplets, thereby making bloodstains slide off the mouthpiece surface quickly and without residue. Attached Figure Description

[0032] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the preparation process of a mouth mirror.

[0033] Figure 2 The image shows the hydrophobic effect of water droplets on the unmodified mouthpiece surface and the mouthpiece surface prepared in Example 1.

[0034] Figure 3 The dynamic repulsion performance of a 30 μl sheep red blood cell droplet on an unmodified mouthpiece surface and a mouthpiece surface prepared in Example 2 is shown in the figure.

[0035] Figure 4 The image shows the dynamic repulsion properties of a 10 μl sheep red blood cell droplet on an unmodified mouthpiece surface and a mouthpiece surface prepared in Example 2.

[0036] Figure 5The hydrophobic coating prepared using Example 3 has good cleaning function and can quickly remove water droplets, reducing the amount of surface water. Detailed Implementation

[0037] The technical solution of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments. It should be understood that the following embodiments are merely illustrative and explanatory of the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention. All technologies implemented based on the above content of the present invention are covered within the scope of protection intended by the present invention.

[0038] Unless otherwise stated, the raw materials and reagents used in the following examples are commercially available products or can be prepared by known methods.

[0039] Example 1

[0040] A method for preparing a mouth mirror includes the following steps:

[0041] A reaction solution was prepared by ultrasonically mixing polydimethylsiloxane (3000 weight-average molecular weight) with a single-terminal trimethoxy group (5 parts by weight), dichlorodimethylsilane (DCDMS) as an acid catalyst (0.5 parts by weight), and isopropanol (100 parts by weight) for 10 minutes. Lens paper was immersed in the solution for 30 seconds and then used to wipe the lens for 1-2 minutes. After the solvent evaporated, the lens was wiped again with clean lens paper until no liquid residue remained, resulting in a lens with a hydrophobic coating.

[0042] 20 μl of water was dropped onto the unmodified mouthpiece surface and the mouthpiece surface prepared in Example 1 (hydrophobicated mouthpiece surface), respectively. The hydrophobic effect of the water droplets on the unmodified mouthpiece surface and the mouthpiece surface prepared in Example 1 (hydrophobicated mouthpiece surface) was observed. The results are as follows: Figure 2 As shown in the figure, water droplets can quickly slide off the surface of the mouthpiece prepared in Example 1 (the hydrophobically treated mouthpiece surface), while on the unmodified mouthpiece surface, the water droplets flow more slowly and exhibit obvious residue and pinning phenomena. This indicates that the present invention, by modifying the mouthpiece with siloxanes having terminal reactive groups for hydrophobic modification, enables the mouthpiece to have excellent dynamic water repulsion properties.

[0043] Example 2

[0044] A method for preparing a mouth mirror includes the following steps:

[0045] Five parts of dichlorodimethylsilane (DCDMS) were dissolved in 100 parts of ethanol and stirred at 60°C for 2 hours to hydrolyze the dichlorodimethylsilane molecules, releasing hydrochloric acid and autocatalytically forming long siloxane chains with terminal groups. A nonwoven fabric was immersed in the reaction solution, moistened, removed, and sealed for storage to maintain wettability. Before use, the fabric was removed, the mouthpiece was wiped for 1 minute, and after the solvent evaporated, the mouthpiece was rinsed with water and dried with compressed air to obtain a mouthpiece with a hydrophobic coating.

[0046] Add 30 μl of sheep red blood cell fluid (red blood cell concentration of 10) 7 Sheep red blood cell droplets (each droplet / ml) were respectively dropped onto the unmodified mouthpiece surface and the mouthpiece surface prepared in Example 2 (hydrophobicated mouthpiece surface). The dynamic repulsion properties of the sheep red blood cell droplets on the unmodified mouthpiece surface and the mouthpiece surface prepared in Example 2 (hydrophobicated mouthpiece surface) were observed. The results are as follows: Figure 3 As shown in the figure, sheep red blood cell droplets slide on the unmodified mouthpiece surface but leave obvious residue; while on the mouthpiece prepared in Example 2 (hydrophobicated mouthpiece surface), droplets slide off without residue. This indicates that the mouthpiece prepared by this invention with a hydrophobic coating has significant blood dynamic repulsion properties.

[0047] Ten μl of sheep red blood cell droplets were dropped onto an unmodified mouthpiece surface and a mouthpiece surface prepared in Example 2 (hydrophobicated), respectively. The dynamic repulsion properties of the sheep red blood cell droplets on the unmodified mouthpiece surface and the mouthpiece surface prepared in Example 2 (hydrophobicated) were observed. The results are as follows: Figure 4 As shown in the figure, sheep red blood cell droplets adhere to the unmodified mouthpiece surface and cannot slide; while droplets on the mouthpiece prepared in Example 2 (hydrophobicated) slide off without residue within 3 seconds. This indicates that the mouthpiece prepared by this invention with a hydrophobic coating has significant dynamic repulsion properties against blood, reducing blood adhesion and pinning on the mouthpiece surface, thus allowing blood droplets to slide off the surface quickly and without residue.

[0048] Example 3

[0049] A method for preparing a mouth mirror includes the following steps:

[0050] Dissolve 10 parts of dichlorodimethylsilane (DCDMS) in 1000 parts of ethylene glycol, add 1 part of water, and mix the solution by rotating at 3000 rpm for about 30 seconds. Let it stand for 5 minutes at room temperature before use. Apply the solution evenly to the surface of the mouthpiece, and after the solvent evaporates, wash the substrate with water and dry it with compressed air to obtain a mouthpiece with a hydrophobic coating.

[0051] The unmodified mouthpiece surface and the mouthpiece surface prepared in Example 3 (hydrophobicated mouthpiece surface) were rinsed with 10 μl of water respectively. The amount of water accumulated on the unmodified mouthpiece surface and the mouthpiece surface prepared in Example 3 (hydrophobicated mouthpiece surface) was observed. The results are as follows: Figure 5 As shown in the figure, water droplets slide on the unmodified mouthpiece surface but leave obvious residue; while on the mouthpiece surface prepared in Example 3 (hydrophobicated mouthpiece surface), water droplets slide off without residue. This indicates that the mouthpiece with a hydrophobic coating prepared in this invention has significant dynamic water repulsion properties, reducing water adhesion and pinning on the mouthpiece surface. Therefore, water droplets can slide off the surface quickly and without residue, resulting in good cleaning performance of the mouthpiece. Thus, when there are foreign objects on the mouthpiece surface, a small amount of water can be used for cleaning, significantly reducing the amount of water accumulation on the surface.

[0052] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for preparing a mouth mirror, characterized in that, The preparation method includes modifying a mouthpiece substrate with a siloxane solution containing terminal reactive groups to obtain a mouthpiece with a polysiloxane coating on its surface. The mouth mirror includes a mouth mirror substrate and a polysiloxane coating modified on the mouth mirror substrate; The end-group reactive groups of the polysiloxane coating are covalently grafted onto the mouthpiece substrate; The siloxane with terminal reactive groups is selected from low molecular weight chlorosilane double-terminated silane monomers or high molecular weight single-terminated siloxanes. The low molecular weight chlorosilane diterminated silane monomer is selected from at least one of dichlorodimethylsilane, 1,3-dichlorotetramethyldisiloxane and dimethoxydimethylsilane; The high molecular weight mono-terminated siloxane is selected from trimethoxy-terminated polysiloxane or vinyl-terminated polysiloxane. The solution also contains an acid catalyst, which is selected from at least one of hydrochloric acid, Lewis acid, and chlorosilane; The concentration of the acid catalyst in the solution is 0.1~5wt%.

2. The method for preparing the mouth mirror as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The mass-average molecular weight of the high molecular weight single-terminal siloxane is 1,000 to 100,000.

3. The method for preparing the mouth mirror as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The thickness of the coating is 1~10nm.

4. The method for preparing the mouth mirror as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The thickness of the coating is 3~10nm.

5. The preparation method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The modification is performed by coating, which is done by brushing or wiping.

6. The preparation method according to claim 5, characterized in that, Soak a brush, nonwoven fabric, or lens cleaning paper in a siloxane solution with end-group reactive groups, and then use the brush, nonwoven fabric, or lens cleaning paper to wipe the surface of the mouthpiece substrate.

7. The preparation method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The wiping time is 15~120s.

8. The preparation method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The solvent used in the solution is at least one of isopropanol, ethanol, and ethylene glycol; And / or, the concentration of siloxanes with terminal reactive groups in the solution is 0.5~20wt%.

9. The preparation method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The acid catalyst is the same as a siloxane with terminal reactive groups, and the acid catalyst is dichlorodimethylsilane or 1,3-dichlorotetramethyldisiloxane.

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