ted, but only when one side of the material touched the other.
PDMS causes asymmetry in the positions of the material’s ions
One method to improve electromechanical PDMS membrane actuation is electrostatic attraction between two oppositely charged electrodes. Nevertheless, such a technique requires high voltages and is difficult to scale to microfluidic devices. Another approach is to deposit thin metal layers or dielectric depositions on PDMS. However, this method has many drawbacks, such as poor crosslinking. In addition, the electromechanical properties of PDMS material change as it ages and adsorbs hydrophobic molecules. Further, such devices tend to buckle under a large strain, which can affect biological experiments.
The researchers fabricated artificial magnetic cilia using 3D-printed PDMS and iron particles. A cantilever-like structure of a PDMS-based material is attached to the wall of a microchannel, downstream of a slit orifice. The cilium is designed to be asymmetric, and the flow through the structure is of the order of ul/min.
PDMS meets United States Pharmaceutical (USP) Class VI requirements
PDMS is a polymer whose properties are certified by the United States Pharmacopeial Convention. This organization sets standards for medications, dietary supplements, medical devices, and food ingredients. It is important for a company’s products to meet USP requirements, which can help it gain FDA approval. Furthermore, USP-certified materials are generally higher quality and less likely to cause harm to patients.
USP Class VI is the strictest class of the six plastics classifications. The USP-NF standard establishes standards for medical device materials, including plastics. Because medical devices come in contact with human tissue, bio-compatibility is required. The main objective of the Class VI tests is to ensure the absence of toxic chemicals that could harm a patient. PDMS meets USP Class VI requirements for medical devices, and Impact Plastics encourages customers to evaluate their products according to the needs of their specific applications.