title: Mechanical characteristics of an Ormocomp(®) biocompatible hybrid photopolymer.
abstract: In this work, the mechanical behaviour of a photocured Ormocomp(®) hybrid material is investigated. Its biocompatible nature has attracted a growing interest for microfabrication applications in biomedicine and tissue engineering. Measurements of in situ solidification strain development and achieved degree of curing, as obtained using a fibre optic sensor, are presented. The results show that the solidification strains generated during UV-curing are significant at the maximum achieved degree of curing. The mechanical response (Young's modulus) of the material was investigated by testing of thin-film and regular size specimens. It was found that the measured mean elastic modulus of the thin-film specimens was of the same order of magnitude as that of the larger specimens but noticeably smaller.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Advanced Manufacturing Technologies and Testing, University of Piraeus, Karaoli and Dimitriou 80, Piraeus, Greece.
authors.forename: Charalampos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schizas
authors.forename: Dimitris
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Karalekas
mesh_terms: D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D055119:Elastic Modulus; D008422:Materials Testing; D055668:Photochemical Processes; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D011108:Polymers