Room temperature/Corcoran/Dow Corning™-Silicone plastination process

Area of Science:

• Anatomy and Histology
• Biotechnology and Biomaterials

Background:

• The cold temperature/S10/von Hagens plastination technique has been the gold standard for preserving biological specimens for two decades.
• This method produces dry, aesthetically pleasing specimens but requires sub-zero temperatures (-15°C) due to the instability of the polymer-catalyst mixture.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and describe a novel room temperature silicone plastination technique.
• To present an alternative preservation method that eliminates the need for cold temperatures and toxic chemical residues.

Main Methods:

• A new silicone polymer (Cor-tech) and cross-linker were combined to create a stable room temperature impregnation mix.
• The technique involves impregnating specimens with the silicone mix at room temperature, followed by catalyst application for curing.
• This process mirrors the four basic steps of traditional plastination but differs in the sequence of component combination.

Main Results:

• The room temperature technique yields plastinates comparable in quality and practicality to those produced by the cold method.
• Specimens preserved using this method are beautiful, dry, and permanently preserved without toxic chemical residues.
• The silicone impregnation mix is stable at room temperature, simplifying the preservation process.

Conclusions:

• The Room temperature/Dow Corning™/Corcoran-Silicone plastination technique provides a viable, stable, and safer alternative to cold temperature plastination.
• This method offers similar high-quality preservation results, making biological specimens accessible for demonstration and study without hazardous conditions.