White Papers
Technical White Papers
Effect of Sterilization on the Mechanical Properties of Silicone Rubbers
By: Emilie Gautriaud, Keith T. Stafford, Jennifer Adamchuk, Mark W. Simon and Duan Li Ou
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.
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Sani-Tech® Ultra
The Ultimate Low Extractable Silicone Tubing
Sani-Tech® Ultra is low extractable platinum-cured silicone tubing developed especially
for biotechnology, pharmaceutical, healthcare and laboratory applications. This premium
tubing answers the need for a fluid transport vehicle that would help optimize
performance by minimizing the level of extractables in its body. The low level of
extractables that leach out from the silicone tubing is a major concern for a wide range of
biopharm applications as it would lead to contamination in the fluid path.
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