Comparing Microwave Induced Polymerization to Thermal Induced Polymerization of the Resin Bisphenol A-Glycidyl Methacrylate.

This thesis presents a theoretical and experimental comparison of polymerization induced by microwave energy and polymerization induced by thermal energy of the resin bisphenol A-glycidyl methacrylate used in restorative dentistry. The question of whether microwave interaction with the polymer is microwave heating or some more involved microwave interaction with the material is addressed, as part of a general search for relative advantages and disadvantages of the two methods. Results are that the microwave energy was heating the material and that microwave energy can produce samples equal in strength to samples produced thermally with a substantial reduction of processing time