Patent 8722759 was granted and assigned to 3M on May, 2014 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Fillers containing silica-zirconia nanoclusters are disclosed. The fillers may be prepared by mixing a sol of silica nanoparticles with a sol of preformed, crystalline nanozirconia particles. The fillers provide desirable optical properties, such as opalescence, and are useful in dental compositions.