{"id":9058,"date":"2018-11-30T08:00:01","date_gmt":"2018-11-30T14:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ulprospector.com\/knowledge\/?p=9058"},"modified":"2018-12-07T10:04:37","modified_gmt":"2018-12-07T16:04:37","slug":"pe-developments-in-medical-silicones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/9058\/pe-developments-in-medical-silicones\/","title":{"rendered":"Developments in Medical Silicones"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-9063\" src=\"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/media\/2018\/11\/hospital-834152_640-pixabay.jpg\" alt=\"IV drip - learn about advances in medical silicones in the Prospector Knowledge Center.\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/hospital-834152_640-pixabay.jpg 640w, https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/hospital-834152_640-pixabay-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/>Silicones are a general category of synthetic polymers whose backbone is made of repeating silicon to oxygen bonds. They are typically heat-resistant and either liquid or rubber-like, and are used in sealants, adhesives, lubricants, cooking utensils, and thermal and electrical insulation. Some common forms include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>silicone oil<\/li>\n<li>silicone grease<\/li>\n<li>silicone rubber<\/li>\n<li>silicone resin<\/li>\n<li>silicone caulk<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Find medical grade plastics<\/h3>\n<p>Did you know that Prospector<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> has listings for thousands of medical grade plastic materials? You can quickly search, compare, and find alternatives with Prospector.<\/p>\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ulprospector.com\/?st=31\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Create your FREE account now!<\/a><\/h3>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Medical applications of silicones<\/h3>\n<p>Useful properties specific to medical applications include biocompatibility and biodurability, which can be expressed in terms of other material properties such as hydrophobicity, low surface tension, and chemical and thermal stability. For example, their hydrophobic (water-repellent) character caused silicones to be considered for blood coagulation prevention as long ago as the mid-1940s.<\/p>\n<p>A particular challenge in medical applications is that many components may have to be tough enough to withstand challenges like heat, pressure, and chemical exposure while, at the same time, being comfortable enough for physical contact with a patient. Not many materials can meet such seemingly conflicting demands, but liquid silicone rubber (LSR) can. LSR is a flexible thermosetting plastic that is available in a range of hardnesses and compositions, allowing the material\u2019s properties to be matched to the application.<\/p>\n<p>LSR is approved for medical applications with skin contact. Its stability and hydrophobic nature protects the cured material from being affected by skin. At the same time, and unlike materials like latex, LSR is nonallergenic, so skin is not affected by the plastic. It is hygienic, resisting the growth of bacteria and fungi, and the softness and flexibility of the material helps ensure patient comfort while its water-repellent nature prevents it from sticking to wounds.<\/p>\n<p>Silicone resin is well known for its applications in aesthetic implants: implants are widely used in the breast, scrotum, chin, nose, cheek, calf, and buttocks. Some of these devices may also employ a softer-feeling substance known as silicone gel. The gel is a lightly cross-linked silicone elastomer, without silica or other reinforcing filler, that is swollen with polydimethylsiloxane fluid. The gel is contained within an elastomer shell in breast, testicular, and chin implants.<\/p>\n<p>But the range of applications is much wider. By the end of the 1960s, silicone materials were being employed or evaluated in numerous health-care applications:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>orthopaedics<\/li>\n<li>catheters<\/li>\n<li>drains and shunts of numerous descriptions<\/li>\n<li>components in kidney dialysis, blood oxygenation, heart bypass machines and heart valves<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The most significant orthopaedic applications of silicone are the hand and foot joint implants.<\/p>\n<h3>Introducing functional molecules into living cells<\/h3>\n<p>Giant vesicle (GV), a liposome consisting of a phospholipid membrane, has a structure similar to live cells and is several micrometers in size. For this reason, it has been used for various biochemical experiments such as the introduction of functional molecules into living cells, and also made into a vessel of artificial cells and molecular robotic research.<\/p>\n<p>Recently, Tohoku University reported a technique for simple, mass production of giant vesicles using a porous silicone material<sup>1<\/sup>. The technique involves adsorbing a lipid into a silicone porous material resembling a &#8220;marshmallow-like gel&#8221; and then squeezing it out like a sponge by impregnating a buffer solution.<\/p>\n<p>This simple method is expected to be applied not only as a tool for cell research requiring giant vesicles but also for medical and cosmetic purposes.<\/p>\n<p>Per Tohoku University<sup>2<\/sup>, many methods have been proposed for the preparation of GV dispersions, but in the lab, the method of producing large quantities of several hundred millilitres at one time has been limited. In 2011, Dr. Shinichiro Nomura discovered that GVs were generated by adsorbing lipid into porous polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and squeezing it in a buffer solution.<\/p>\n<p>The practical development of the GV generation method and improvement of its efficiency is achieved by using a pore-controlled silicone composition flexible macro-porous material, which can be described as a &#8220;marshmallow-like gel&#8221; (Figs 1 and 2).<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_9059\" class=\"thumbnail wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"width: 764px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-9059\" src=\"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/media\/2018\/11\/medical-resins-Fig1_Marshmallow-gel.jpg\" alt=\"Marshmallow gel for medical use: macroscopic and microscopic image. Learn more about medical silicones in the Prospector Knowledge Center.\" width=\"764\" height=\"325\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/medical-resins-Fig1_Marshmallow-gel.jpg 764w, https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/medical-resins-Fig1_Marshmallow-gel-300x128.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 764px) 100vw, 764px\" \/><figcaption class=\"caption wp-caption-text\">Figure 1 Marshmallow gel: macroscopic and microscopic image (Scanning Electron Microscopy) Credit: \u00a9 Gen Hayase<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_9060\" class=\"thumbnail wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"width: 1024px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-9060\" src=\"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/media\/2018\/11\/medical-resins-Fig2_giant-vesicles-squeezed-out-from-marshmallow-gel-1024x663.jpg\" alt=\"Schematic image of giant vesicles squeezed out from marshmallow gel. Learn about new applications of medical silicones in the Prospector Knowledge Center.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"663\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/medical-resins-Fig2_giant-vesicles-squeezed-out-from-marshmallow-gel-1024x663.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/medical-resins-Fig2_giant-vesicles-squeezed-out-from-marshmallow-gel-300x194.jpg 300w, https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/medical-resins-Fig2_giant-vesicles-squeezed-out-from-marshmallow-gel-768x497.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/medical-resins-Fig2_giant-vesicles-squeezed-out-from-marshmallow-gel.jpg 1556w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"caption wp-caption-text\">Figure 2 Schematic image of this method &#8211; giant vesicles are squeezed out from marshmallow gel. Lower left: GV in the MG just before the squeezing (3D image); right: GVs squeezed out from the MG. \u00a9 Gen Hayase<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Self-assembling silicone-based polymers<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Also in Japan, scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology, RIKEN and Tohoku University have developed a silicone polymer chain that can self-assemble into a 3D periodic structure<sup>3<\/sup>. They achieved this by using their recently reported self-assembling triptycene molecules to modify the ends of the polymer chains (Fig 3).<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_9061\" class=\"thumbnail wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"width: 981px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-9061\" src=\"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/media\/2018\/11\/medical-resins-Fig-3-self-assembling-silicones-981x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Schematic of 1,8,13-Trip, a triptycene molecule that can self-assemble into 2D hexagonal arrays. Learn more about medical silicones in the Prospector Knowledge Center.\" width=\"981\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/medical-resins-Fig-3-self-assembling-silicones-981x1024.jpg 981w, https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/medical-resins-Fig-3-self-assembling-silicones-287x300.jpg 287w, https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/medical-resins-Fig-3-self-assembling-silicones-768x802.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/medical-resins-Fig-3-self-assembling-silicones-30x30.jpg 30w, https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/medical-resins-Fig-3-self-assembling-silicones.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 981px) 100vw, 981px\" \/><figcaption class=\"caption wp-caption-text\">Figure 3 1,8,13-Trip is a triptycene molecule that can self-assemble into 2D hexagonal arrays, which then stack on top of each other to form a periodic polymer structure. (Fumitaka Ishiwari)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The development of novel soft materials for various optical, mechanical, heat\/charge transportation and nanotechnological applications would greatly benefit from techniques to create polymer assemblies in periodically ordered structures. Such ordered structures are created using molecular scaffolds or by modifying certain parts of the polymers used so that they self-assemble into the desired shape.<\/p>\n<p>The team designed polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) chains with the ends replaced by a triptycene molecule. They hoped that these modified silicone chains would also exhibit self-assembling behaviour. The team\u2019s findings are promising and they will carry on investigating the self-organization of polymers, intending that the results will lead to the development of novel materials and synthesis techniques.<\/p>\n<h3>Hand-picked articles for you:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/5529\/pe-k-show-medical-polymers\/?st=31\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">K Show Recap: Medical Polymers in the Spotlight<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/8939\/pe-plastics-under-the-uv-spotlight\/?st=31\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Plastics Under the UV Spotlight<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/7473\/pe-polymers-in-regenerative-medicine\/?st=31\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Spin to Win: Polymers in Regenerative Medicine<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>References:<\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li>Gen Hayase, Shin-ichiro M. Nomura. Large-Scale Preparation of Giant Vesicles by Squeezing a Lipid-Coated Marshmallow-like Silicone Gel in a Buffer. Langmuir, 2018; 34 (37): 11021 DOI: <a href=\"https:\/\/pubs.acs.org\/doi\/10.1021\/acs.langmuir.8b01801\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">1021\/acs.langmuir.8b01801<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Tohoku University: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.tohoku.ac.jp\/en\/press\/porous_silicone.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Simple, mass production of giant vesicles using a porous silicone material<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Tokyo Institute of Technology: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.titech.ac.jp\/english\/news\/2018\/042752.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">No Assembly Required: Self-assembling Silicone-based Polymers<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Silicones are a general category of synthetic polymers whose backbone is made of repeating silicon to oxygen bonds. They are typically heat-resistant and either liquid or rubber-like, and are used in sealants, adhesives, lubricants, cooking utensils, and thermal and electrical &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/9058\/pe-developments-in-medical-silicones\/\">Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":9062,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[30,21],"tags":[275],"ppma_author":[1238],"class_list":{"0":"post-9058","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-materials","8":"category-plastics-2","9":"tag-materials","10":"entry"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - 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Learn more about medical silicones in the Prospector Knowledge Center.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ulprospector.ul.com\\\/9058\\\/pe-developments-in-medical-silicones\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ulprospector.ul.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Developments in Medical Silicones\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ulprospector.ul.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ulprospector.ul.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Prospector Knowledge Center\",\"description\":\"Welcome to the blog for UL Prospector, the most comprehensive raw material search engine for product developers.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ulprospector.ul.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ulprospector.ul.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/441082c0781d296fc60a593727eae674\",\"name\":\"Andy Pye\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ulprospector.ul.com\\\/media\\\/2017\\\/10\\\/Andy-Pye_avatar_1508792576-96x96.jpg3e58e840009b2ffbaebd613d67175564\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ulprospector.ul.com\\\/media\\\/2017\\\/10\\\/Andy-Pye_avatar_1508792576-96x96.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ulprospector.ul.com\\\/media\\\/2017\\\/10\\\/Andy-Pye_avatar_1508792576-96x96.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Andy Pye\"},\"description\":\"Andy Pye is a technologist, technical writer, journalist and editor based in London, England close to the Greenwich Meridian line. Having originally qualified as a metallurgist at Cambridge University, Andy spent a period as a consultant, where he specialised in advanced composites, asbestos substitutes and the methodology of materials selection, subjects on which he has published several books and technical papers. Since the early 1980s, he has edited many of the leading manufacturing and engineering titles in the UK, firstly cutting his teeth as a technical journalist on Design Engineering. Known as \\\"The Materials Man\\\", he covered many of the early innovations in engineering plastics. He was promoted to editor in 1985 and subsequently moved on to edit Engineering magazine (1992), and Industrial Technology (1994). In 1999, with former colleagues, he launched Pro-Talk, which founded the first online publications for engineers in Europe - the then thriving business was sold to Centaur Publications in 2006. Since then, Andy has continued to publish online, including his own title New Materials International (www.newmaterials.com). He is also a regular contributor to many specialist engineering titles in the UK and Europe, including Controls, Drives &amp; Automation (CDA), Engineering &amp; Technology (E&amp;T), and Environmental Technology. As technology companies strive to manage their own websites, they are recognising the need to develop their writing and editing resources. Andy now works directly for companies in the manufacturing sector, delivering technical content through this medium for their current and prospective customers. 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Having originally qualified as a metallurgist at Cambridge University, Andy spent a period as a consultant, where he specialised in advanced composites, asbestos substitutes and the methodology of materials selection, subjects on which he has published several books and technical papers. Since the early 1980s, he has edited many of the leading manufacturing and engineering titles in the UK, firstly cutting his teeth as a technical journalist on Design Engineering. Known as \"The Materials Man\", he covered many of the early innovations in engineering plastics. He was promoted to editor in 1985 and subsequently moved on to edit Engineering magazine (1992), and Industrial Technology (1994). In 1999, with former colleagues, he launched Pro-Talk, which founded the first online publications for engineers in Europe - the then thriving business was sold to Centaur Publications in 2006. 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