An assessment of the physical properties and biocompatibility of three silicone elastomers

The physical properties of two room-temperature vulcanizing (RTV) silicones, A-2186 and Silbione 71556, and one high-temperature vulcanizing (HTV) material, Mollomed, were compared. The potential cytotoxicity of the silicone materials was assessed with the agarose overlay test. The properties that were investigated were tensile strength, percentage elongation, modulus, permanent set, tear strength, and hardness. The properties tested were selected because of their clinical significance for fabricating facial prostheses. The results of this study indicate that the A-2186 material has a better combination of high tear strength and elongation at break with a softer surface compared with Mollomed silicone, and Silbione 71556 silicone proved to be the weakest material. All materials demonstrated absence of cytotoxicity in the cell culture tests.