Mechanical Properties and Corrosion Resistance of Vulcanized Silicone Rubber after Exposure to Artificial Urine

Medical devices, such as Foley catheters, which are commonly fabricated from silicone rubber, need to have excellent mechanical properties and physiological inertness. This study reports the development of a facile method to prepare silicone rubber with excellent long-term performance by controlling the vulcanization procedure parameters only. Mechanical, viscoelastic, and chemical properties of vulcanized silicone rubber were investigated. The corrosion resistance of vulcanized silicone rubber was assessed by exposure to artificial body urine for a period of up to 14 days. The mechanical properties of silicone rubber were changed via adjusting the vulcanization procedure parameters. The improved mechanical properties of silicone rubber are attributed to an increase in crosslink density resulting from the proposed vulcanization technology. After 14 days of immersion in urine, no significant changes in mechanical properties and internal structure were observed. This indicated that the as-prepared rubber samples had high tear resistance and physiological inertness. These long-term properties are important for their applications as semi-permanent implant materials, such as Foley catheter balloons in clinics. Our process of vulcanization of silicone rubber may have potential for fabrication of such medical devices.