am7b11972_si_001.mov (9.99 MB)
Gravity-Drawn Silicone Filaments: Production, Characterization, and Wormlike Chain Dynamics
media
posted on 2017-11-07, 00:00 authored by Roxanna Kiessling, Samuel J.S. Rubin, Jacquelyn Zehner, Collin Barraugh, Katherine Snell, Corinna Fukushima, Matthew Mulligan, Melissa Keckley, Anthony Bosshardt, Walter Cook, Babak SaniiWe introduce a method to produce
continuous polydimethylsiloxane
(PDMS) silicone filaments on the order of 0.5 m long and 100 μm
in diameter. The approach overcomes traditional limitations in silicone
drawing by partially precuring the polymer and drawing through a tube
furnace. We characterize the filaments’ mechanical properties,
and their ability to switch hydrophobicity by UV-ozone and corona
discharge patterning. The flexible filaments’ dynamic properties
were evaluated by way of athermal acoustic excitation at the air–water
interface, revealing conformational reconfigurability consistent with
a wormlike chain model. We envision applications in rapid prototyping
and as a platform for model foldamer studies.