Development of Suture Pad from Silk-Reinforced Polydimethylsiloxane Composite

The aim of this research is to investigate the mechanical properties of polydimethylsiloxane reinforced with short silk fibers for suture pad application. The effect of aspect ratio and fibers content of the polydimethylsiloxane reinforced with silk fibers on the properties was evaluated. From the results, tensile modulus and tensile strength of polydimethylsiloxane reinforced with different aspect ratio were increased with increasing aspect ratio and fibers content.  The composite with the addition of silk fiber produces higher tear resistance with suture thread compared with pure polydimethylsiloxane. Furthermore, the hardness of polydimethylsiloxane reinforced with short silk fibers was improved with the addition of silk fiber content. The hardness of polydimethylsiloxane composite was found to be close to that of human skin (ca. 40 HA). The results indicated that the short silk fiber reinforced polydimethylsiloxane composite has the potential to be applied as a suture pad.