Search results for "Elastomers"

Large strain stimulation promotes extracellular matrix production and stiffness in an elastomeric scaffold model

2016

Mechanical conditioning of engineered tissue constructs is widely recognized as one of the most relevant methods to enhance tissue accretion and microstructure, leading to improved mechanical behaviors. The understanding of the underlying mechanisms remains rather limited, restricting the development of in silico models of these phenomena, and the translation of engineered tissues into clinical application. In the present study, we examined the role of large strip-biaxial strains (up to 50%) on ECM synthesis by vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) micro-integrated into electrospun polyester urethane urea (PEUU) constructs over the course of 3 weeks. Experimental results indicated that VSMC …

Polylactic is a Sustainable, Low Absorption, Low Autofluorescence Alternative to Other Plastics for Microfluidic and Organ-on-Chip Applications

2020

Organ-on-chip (OOC) devices are miniaturized devices replacing animal models in drug discovery and toxicology studies. The majority of OOC devices are made from polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), an elastomer widely used in microfluidic prototyping, but posing a number of challenges to experimentalists, including leaching of uncured oligomers and uncontrolled absorption of small compounds. Here we assess the suitability of polylactic acid (PLA) as a replacement material to PDMS for microfluidic cell culture and OOC applications. We changed the wettability of PLA substrates and demonstrated the functionalization method to be stable over a time period of at least 9 months. We successfully cultured …

Oxygen Transmissibility of Piggyback Systems With Conventional Soft and Silicone Hydrogel Contact Lenses

2006

To investigate the apparent oxygen transmissibility of various piggyback systems using conventional and silicone hydrogel soft contact lenses of different water content and permeability, rigid poly(methyl methacrylate), and rigid gas-permeable lenses of medium, high, and ultrahigh oxygen permeability. The aim of the study was to establish which material (rigid or hydrogel) is more representative of the resulting oxygen performance of piggyback systems. METHODS: The apparent oxygen transmissibility of 66 piggyback systems was measured with an electrochemical method. Eighteen of these combinations involved the use of silicone hydrogel contact lenses currently available. One hyperpermeable rig…

Template-Based Fabrication of Nanometer-Scaled Actuators from Liquid-Crystalline Elastomers

2010

Fabrication of elastomeric scaffolds with curvilinear fibrous structures for heart valve leaflet engineering

2014

Native semi-lunar heart valves are composed of a dense fibrous network that generally follows a curvilinear path along the width of the leaflet. Recent models of engineered valve leaflets have predicted that such curvilinear fiber orientations would homogenize the strain field and reduce stress concentrations at the commissure. In the present work, a method was developed to reproduce this curvilinear fiber alignment in electrospun scaffolds by varying the geometry of the collecting mandrel. Elastomeric poly(ester urethane)urea was electrospun onto rotating conical mandrels of varying angles to produce fibrous scaffolds where the angle of fiber alignment varied linearly over scaffold length.…

Silicone-Silver Penile Prosthesis: Description, Operative Approach and Results

1980

A silicone penile prosthesis in which silver wires are embedded to allow for voluntary bending of the penis for urination and resting position and for straightening for intercourse is described. The implantation is done via a hemicircular incision on the dorsum of the penis in the sulcus coronarius. Buck's fascia is identified and opened, and the corpora are dilated up to 30F. After the exact length is determined with a special sizer the prosthesis is slipped into each corpus cavernosum. The advantage of this approach is the optimal insertion of the prosthesis distal to the sulcus coronarius, thereby preventing kinking of the glans during intercourse. Our experiences with the implantation i…

Transrenal Ureteral Occlusion with a Detachable Balloon

1982

Transrenal ureteral occlusion using a detachable balloon was successfully employed to stop urinary flow in seven patients. The balloon was filled with low-viscosity silicone rubber and released in the distal ureter. Percutaneous nephrostomy provided external drainage. Indications were painful dysuria and large urinary fistulas in advanced pelvic malignancy. The method is preferable to ureteral embolization with tissue adhesive.

Iris-Like Tunable Aperture Employing Liquid-Crystal Elastomers

2014

A liquid-crystal elastomer (LCE) iris inspired by the human eye is demonstrated. With integrated polyimide-based platinum heaters, the LCE material is thermally actuated. The radial contraction direction, similar to a mammalian iris, is imprinted to the LCE by a custom-designed magnetic field. Actuation of the device is reproducible over multiple cycles and controllable at intermediate contraction states.

Microfluidic Preparation of Liquid Crystalline Elastomer Actuators

2018

This paper focuses on the microfluidic process (and its parameters) to prepare actuating particles from liquid crystalline elastomers. The preparation usually consists in the formation of droplets containing low molar mass liquid crystals at elevated temperatures. Subsequently, these particle precursors are oriented in the flow field of the capillary and solidified by a crosslinking polymerization, which produces the final actuating particles. The optimization of the process is necessary to obtain the actuating particles and the proper variation of the process parameters (temperature and flow rate) and allows variations of size and shape (from oblate to strongly prolate morphologies) as wel…

Geometric characterization and simulation of planar layered elastomeric fibrous biomaterials

2015

An important class of biomaterials is composed of layered networks of elastomeric fibers. While there is a growing interest in modeling and simulation of the mechanical response of these biomaterials, a theoretical foundation for such simulations has yet to be firmly established. The present work addresses this issue in two ways. First, using methods of geometric probability we develop theoretical estimates for the linear and areal fiber intersection densities for two-dimensional fibrous networks. These are expressed in terms of the fiber density and orientation distribution function, both of which are relatively easy to measure properties. Secondly, we develop a random walk algorithm for g…