Natural Rubber Nanocomposite with Human-Tissue-Like Mechanical Characteristic

Abstract

The blends of synthetic rubber and natural rubber with nanosilica were prepared using a blending technique in presence of different filler volume fraction. The effect of filler on morphological and mechanical characteristics was studied. Utilization of human cadaver in means of medical study has been commonly used primarily as tools of medical teaching and training such as surgery. Nonetheless, human cadaver brought inevitable problems. So it is necessary to find a substitute material that can be used to replace cadavers. In orthopaedics, the materials that resemble in mechanical properties to biological tissues are elastomers such as natural rubber (latex) and synthetic rubber (polyurethanes, silicones). This substitution material needs to consider the potential of Indonesia to help the development of the nation. Indonesia is the second largest country producer of natural rubber in the world. This paper aims to contribute to adjusting the mechanical properties of tissue-mimicking materials (TMMs) to the recommended range of biological tissue value and thus allow the development of phantoms with greater stability and similarity to human tissues. Repeatability for the phantom fabrication process was also explored. Characteristics were then compared to the control and mechanical characteristics of different human body part tissue. Nanosilica is the best filler to produce the best nanocomposite similarities with human tissue. We produced composites that approaching the properties of human internal tissues.