Biophysical properties of foamed and solid polymers used in orthotics and prosthetics

Bohinc, Klemen (author), Abram, Anže (author), Zore, Anamarija (author), Štukelj, Roman (author), Lenarčič, Ana (author), Vidrih, Rajko (author), Sever Škapin, Andrijana (author)

Orthotic and prosthetic materials should have good mechanical and antibacterial properties. Therefore, in our study, we consider four common foamed closed-cells and two solid polymeric materials regarding their mechanical behaviour and tendency for bacterial adhesion. For all materials, the surface roughness, hydrophobicity, zeta potential, tensile properties, hardness and CIE color parameters were measured. We found that foamed polymeric materials have higher roughness, higher hydrophobicity, lower Young's modulus, lower maximum tensile strength and lower hardness than solid materials. Bacterial adhesion test measurements based on observation by scanning electron microscopy show much a lower adhesion extent of S. aureus on solid materials than on foamed materials. The measured biophysical properties could be the key data for users to select the optimal materials.

• Language: English
• Keywords: surface characterization, bacterial adhesion, prosthetic and orthotic material, surfaces, foamed materials
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: ZF - Faculty of Health Sciences; BF - Biotechnical Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2021
• Number of pages: 15 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 14, iss. 22, art. 6877
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-133331
• UDC: 615.477:577
• ISSN on article: 1996-1944
• DOI: 10.3390/ma14226877
• COBISS.SI-ID: 84946435
• Publication date in RUL: 23.11.2021

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Materials
• Shortened title: Materials
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 1996-1944
• COBISS.SI-ID: 33588485

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 15.11.2021

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: karakterizacija površine, adhezija bakterij, protetični in ortotični materiali, površine, penjeni materiali