Abstract
Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is one of the most promising elastomers due its remarkable proprieties such as good thermal stability, biocompatibility, corrosion resistance, flexibility, low cost, ease of use, chemically inertia, hyperplastic characteristics, and gas permeability. Thus, it can be used in areas such as microfluidic systems, biomedical devices, electronic components, membranes for filtering and pervaporation, sensors, and coatings. Although pure PDMS has low mechanical properties, such as low modulus of elasticity and strength, it can be improved by mixing the PDMS with other polymers and by adding particles or reinforcements. Fiber-reinforced PDMS has proved to be a good alternative to manufacturing flexible displays, batteries, wearable devices, tactile sensors, and energy harvesting systems. PDMS and particulates are often used in the separation of liquids from wastewater by means of porosity followed by hydrophobicity. Waxes such as beeswax and paraffin have proved to be materials capable of improving properties such as the hydrophobic, corrosion-resistant, thermal, and optical properties of PDMS. Finally, when blended with polymers such as poly (vinyl chloride-co-vinyl acetate), PDMS becomes a highly efficient alternative for membrane separation applications. However, to the best of our knowledge there are few works dedicated to the review and comparison of different PDMS composites. Hence, this review will be focused on PDMS composites, their respective applications, and properties. Generally, the combination of elastomer with fibers, particles, waxes, polymers, and others it will be discussed, with the aim of producing a review that demonstrates the wide applications of this material and how tailored characteristics can be reached for custom applications.
Highlights
PDMS is a polymer classified as a silicon elastomer, which means it is constituted by a combination of inorganic chains with high surface energy, associated with silicates, methyl groups, inorganics, and low surface energy
PDMS has become a widely used material in many research fields, and its range of applications increases every year. This increase is reflected in the large number of works that have been studying and modifying this material, resulting in tailored properties for extremely specific purposes
This review provides an outlook of how PDMS composites could have their main properties improved, such as their mechanical, electrical, and optical features, opening up new avenues and applications in various fields of engineering
Summary
PDMS is a polymer classified as a silicon elastomer, which means it is constituted by a combination of inorganic chains with high surface energy, associated with silicates, methyl groups, inorganics, and low surface energy. The synthesis of PDMS typically begins with hydrolysis and the condensation reaction of dichlorosilanes, obtaining cyclic and linear polymers [61] This synthesis methodology results in a weak control of molecular weight originating polymers with low properties, which cannot be used in most practical applications [62]. The mechanism for biocompatibility is still not totally clearly demonstrated, it is known that interactions with water in proteins are fundamental parameters and are related to physicochemical characteristics such as surface free energy, stiffness, surface charge, and wettability [66]. Another important aspect of biomaterials refers to structural biocompatibility. The modification of its characteristics, such as transparency, can be interesting for the use in sensors and some types of coatings [25,67,75]
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