Dry vs. wet testing: quasi-static tensile experiment setup for polymer based biomaterials

Polymer materials can be manufactured with high reproducibility and do offer the potential for chemical modification. This enables matrix property modification and fine-tuning of several material characteristics, such as tissue-implant interaction, inflammatory potential or susceptibility to biofilm formation. Whereas manufacturing protocols are crucial for the resulting material properties, also the evaluation in terms of performance and safety has to be considered. Regarding this, both, temperature and composition of test medium may affect the physicochemical properties of implant materials. The present study addresses the influence of test medium compared to dry test conditions, each at two different temperatures, on the mechanical properties of elastomeric film and nonwoven materials.