Medical Device Link.

In the medical and biopharmaceutical fields, millions of silicone rubber-based tools and devices must be sterilized on a daily basis. During the sterilization process, silicone components are commonly exposed to various types of treatments, including single or multiple doses of radiation. While these processes are essential for sanitizing rubber parts, they often have an adverse effect on the integrity of the material. In this study, we evaluate the mechanical properties of three types of commercially available silicone rubbers (platinum cured liquid silicone rubber LSR, platinum cured high consistency rubber HCR, and peroxide cured high consistency rubber HCR) before and after sterilization (gamma irradiation, e-beam irradiation, and ethylene oxide EtO treatment). Our findings on the compatibility of various sterilization mechanisms with different silicone types will provide guidance to medical device designers on material selection and sterilization limitations. Provided by: Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics