The effect of oil content on the mechanical strength of medical-grade silicone elastomer

A. Al-Kaabi

Abstract: Polydimethylsiloxane has long been used as a biomaterial for making implantable devices and applications. Recent reports showed that this polymer suffers from weakness with time as a result of absorbing some body fluids. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the mechanical strength and rupture resistance of medical-grade silicone after oil absorption. In this study, 12 specimens were prepared from polydimethylsiloxane polymer, and they were divided into 2 groups (control and experimental). The experimental samples were dipped in olive oil for six weeks and their weight was recorded each week until they stopped gaining significant weight in the sixth week. All specimens were subject to tensile and elongation to break tests. The results showed that there was a statistically high significant difference between the groups in both tensile and elongation percentage. The study showed that oil loading to silicone material may reinforce the mechanical strength and boost its rupture resistance.

Series on Biomechanics, Vol.34, No.2 (2020), 49-55

Keywords: Breast implant; oil absorption by silicone; polydimethylsiloxane; silicone elastomer; silicone shell rupture

Date published: 2020-07-01