Abstract
Maxillofacial prosthetic rehabilitation requires elastomeric materials that combine mechanical performance, dimensional stability, aesthetic reproducibility, and biological safety with compatibility with digital manufacturing. This study developed three photocurable polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based formulations for liquid crystal display masked stereolithography (LCD-MSLA) and evaluated formulation- and pigmentation-related differences in their physicochemical, mechanical, dimensional, chemical, and biological behaviors. Formulations with different PDMS/copolymer/silica ratios were assessed under unpigmented, natural-pigment, and synthetic-pigment conditions and compared with a commercial silicone reference. Mechanical behavior, thermal stability, color, solvent degradation, apparent porosity, dimensional stability during accelerated aging, fibroblast viability, Candida albicans biofilm metabolic activity, and ATR-FTIR functional-group conversion were evaluated. Conversion increased from 63%–77% after printing to 74%–89% after 80 °C/2 h post-curing, indicating further consumption of reactive functionalities. M1 showed the most favorable tear-resistance and elongation profile, whereas M2 exhibited the lowest apparent porosity and lowest numerical RMSE among experimental formulations during aging. Natural-pigment conditions generally showed higher fibroblast viability than synthetic-pigment counterparts; however, all material-exposed groups remained below the 70% viability threshold in the indirect-contact assay; pigment type did not significantly affect C. albicans biofilm metabolic activity within formulations. Overall, formulation composition strongly influenced material performance, with M1 and M2 showing complementary mechanical and dimensional/microstructural advantages, supporting further optimization for personalized maxillofacial prosthetic applications.