Thiol-functionalised silicone-oils were crosslinked with silver nanoparticles to give mechanically consistent elastomers with high self-healing power. The materials were broken into small pieces and put together in intimate contact for 24 hours at room temperature, observing a complete macroscopic healing and a quantitative recovery of compression-stress and strain.

In this study, a maxillofacial silicone elastomer was stained with cigarette smoke. The stain was then removed by solvent extraction using 1,1,1-trichloroethane. The cigarette smoke produced large color changes in the elastomer as measured from spectrophotometric reflectance curves. The solvent was totally effective in removing the cigarette stain without changing the color of the silicone base.

The described protocol is a simple method to make protein micropatterns with a micron size resolution. It can be applied to control cell shape and adhesive geometry, and also for any other assay requiring protein patterning. It is based on the use of a photomask with microfeatures to locally irradiate with deep UV light (below 200 nm) an antifouling substrate, making it locally adsorbing for pr...

There is presently significant interest in cellular responses to physical forces, and numerous devices have been developed to apply stretch to cultured cells. Many of the early devices were limited by the heterogeneity of deformation of cells in different locations and by the high degree of anisotropy at a particular location. We have therefore developed a system to impose cyclic, large-strain,...

This study presents a flexible magnetically-actuated micro fluid transport system utilizing an isotropic magnetorheological elastomer (MRE). Theoretical modeling and analysis of this system is presented for a two-dimensional model. This fluid transport system can propel the fluid by applying a fluctuating magnetic field on the MRE. The magneto-fluid-structure interaction analysis is employed to...

Silicone-oil additives are often used in fouling-release silicone coatings to reduce the adhesion strength of barnacles and other biofouling organisms. This study follows on from a recently reported active approach to detach barnacles, which was based on the surface strain of elastomeric materials, by investigating a new, dual-action approach to barnacle detachment using Ecoflex®-based elastome...

Aim and Objective: To compare and evaluate the effect of ultraviolet (UV) stabilizers (UV absorbers [UVA] and hindered amine light stabilizers [HALS]) on the color change of a commonly used silicone elastomer subjected to aging by three different methods. Materials and Methodology: Four groups of 30 samples each were studied; Group A-Control, Group B-Silicone + UVA (Chimassorb 81), Group C-Sili...

While the beneficial physical properties of silicone polymers are exploited in many sustainable applications, high energy requirement for their synthesis compromises to a degree sustainability. We report strategy mitigate this issue by filling with inexpensive and renewable starch. Elastomeric materials covalently grafted starch, utilizing anhydride-modified silicones, permits loading up about ...

Growing interest in silicone elastomers for pharmaceutical purposes is due to both their beneficial material effect for scar treatment and their potential as drug carriers. Regarding their morphological structure, silicone polymers possess unique properties, which enable a wide range of applicability possibilities. The present study focused on developing a double-layer adhesive silicone film (D...