Environmental Dynamic Mechanical Analysis to Predict the Softening Behavior of Neural Implants

Summary

To allow reliable predictions of the softening of polymeric substrates for neural implants in an in vivo environment, it is important to have a reliable in vitro method. Here, the use of dynamic mechanical analysis in phosphate buffered saline at body temperature is presented.

Abstract

When using dynamically softening substrates for neural implants, it is important to have a reliable in vitro method to characterize the softening behavior of these materials. In the past, it has not been possible to satisfactorily measure the softening of thin films under conditions mimicking body environment without substantial effort. This publication presents a new and simple method that allows dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) of polymers in solutions, such as phosphate buffered saline (PBS), at relevant temperatures. The use of environmental DMA allows measurement of the softening effects of polymers due to plasticization in various media and temperatures, which therefore allows a prediction of the materials behavior under in vivo conditions.

Introduction

A new generation of materials used as substrates for neural implants comprises softening shape memory polymers^{1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9}. These materials are stiff enough during implantation to overcome critical buckling forces, but they become up to three orders of magnitude softer after implantation in a body environment. It is predicted that these materials show a better devi....

Protocol

1. Preparation of polymer samples for testing

1. Synthesize the softening thiol-ene polymer according to previous protocols inside a fume hood.^1,2,4,18 Briefly, mix quantitative amounts of thiol to alkene monomers with a total of 0.1 wt% photo initiator.
   1. Prepare a 20 mL glass vial for polymer mixing. Cover the vial in aluminum foil to prevent incident light from contacting .......

Discussion

The use of environmental DMA allows the study of the behavior of various polymers used as substrates for neural implants¹⁹ or other biomedical devices in solution and to mimic in vivo conditions. This includes, but is not limited to, polyimide, parylene-C, PDMS, and SU-8. Hydrogels and extracellular matrix (ECM) materials can also be investigated using this method. The differences of overall softening of the polymer as well as its softening kinetics can be easily compared between differen.......

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
1,3,5-Triallyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6(1H,3H,5H)-trione (TATATO)	Sigma-Aldrich	114235-100G
2,2-Dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone (DMPA)	Sigma-Aldrich	196118-50G
CO2 laser Gravograph LS100	Gravotech, Inc.
Corning Large Glass Microscope Slides, 75 x 50mm	Ted Pella	26005
Environmental DMA: RSA-G2 Solids Analyzer	TA Instruments
ESD Safe Plastic Tweezer, Tips; Flat, Duckbill, 11.5 cm	Cole Palmer	EW-07387-17
Laurell WS-650-8B spin coater	Laurell Technologies Corporation
liquid nitrogen	Air gas
PBS, 1X Solution, Fisher BioReagents	Fisher Scientific	BP243820
SHEL LAB vacuum oven	VWR International	89409-484
Silicon wafer	University Wafer		Mechanical grade
The RSA-G2 Immersion System	TA Instruments
Trimethylolpropane tris(3-mercaptopropionate) (TMTMP)	Sigma-Aldrich	381489-100ML
UVP CL-1000 crosslinking chamber with 365 nm bulbs	VWR International	21474-598