Amin Amani, Adrián Benedicto Villanueva, Vivien Nagy and Már Másson
Introduction:
Silicone is widely used for various medical devices due to its excellent mechanical properties. However, the inert nature of silicone surfaces presents limitations in terms of surface activation, which is critical for enhancing its interactions with hydrophilic and antibacterial compounds.
Aims and Method
In this study, the impact of amine-based agents on silicone surface activation was investigated by immersing silicone discs in different amine agents, including ethanolamine, etc. The efficacy of the surface modification process and mechanical properties of the samples were determined using the ninhydrin assay and texture analyzer respectively. The stability of the silicone surface activation was investigated through fluorescence imaging to confirm surface activation and its durability over time.
Results
The results indicated that the efficacy of silicone activation was dependent on the particular amine agent and the reaction mediums used. The maximum level of activation reached 644±30, nanomoles/cm², observed after treating silicone with ethanolamine in toluene. Tensile strength tests indicated that the mechanical properties of the silicone were unaffected by the activation process using ethanolamine in isopropanol, making this treatment the preferred choice for subsequent chitosan coating. The results of fluorescence imaging showed significant initial fluorescence indicating successful activation, which remained stable in water over the 10 days. Furthermore, the ninhydrin assay indicated that amine group concentration consistently remained over 40%, extending to day 10.
Conclusion
This study demonstrates that ethanolamine is a promising amine agent for silicone surface activation, offering high activation efficiency and stability while maintaining the silicone’s structural integrity unchanged.
