Mechanical Properties

 The importance of mechanical properties has been discussed in the uses for

silicone materials and in the need for proper compliance for vascular graft applications.

One area of interest is designing the mechanical properties to control the response of

biofilms and tissues. Currently, the focus of our interest is in modifying the modulus of

the elastomer without greatly affecting the surface chemistry or energy of the sample.

Young's modulus, E, may be written as

 07
 E=-


where cr and E represent the tensile stress and strain respectively.[120] Essentially,

Young's modulus is a measure of the stiffness and compliance that is referenced in much

of the biology-based research on these materials. The term compliance can be defined as

the elongational compliance, J, which in regions far from thermal transitions is the

inverse of Young's modulus.

 1
 E

This should not be confused with the compliance of vascular graft materials, which is a

measure of the dynamic circumferential elastic properties of a vessel and is calculated

using systolic and diastolic blood pressure and the vessel diameter by


 c (Dsystolic diastolic)
 C=
 Sdiastoloic /the press diastolic a

where D is the vessel diameter, P is the pressure, and C is the compliance.[121]