Keywords respiratory protection/respirators, personal protective equipment, health care worker/homecare worker, COVID-19

Patients with lower limb amputation usually use prosthetic feet. Elastomeric material is an important part of feet since it can determine their safety and lifetime. The elastomeric should have high friction for safety, at the same time low wear a longer This research aimed to study optimum formulation talc-powder-reinforced silicone elastomer obtain during sliding contact. Taguchi orthogonal ar...

It has been demonstrated experimentally that pre-stretch affects the swelling of an elastomeric membrane when it is exposed to a solvent. We study theoretically the one-dimensional swelling of a pre-stretched thin elastomeric sheet, bonded to an impermeable rigid substrate, to quantify the influence of pre-stretch. We show that the solvent uptake increases when pre-stretch increases, both at eq...

A facile method enabling the integration of elastomeric valves into rigid thermoplastic microfluidic chips is described. The valves employ discrete plugs of elastomeric polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) integrated into the thermoplastic substrate and actuated using a threaded stainless steel needle. The fabrication process takes advantage of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) as a sacrificial molding materi...

The use of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) in microfluidic devices is extensive in academic research. One of the most fundamental treatments is to expose PDMS to plasma oxidation in order to render its surface temporarily hydrophilic and capable of permanent bonding. Here, we show that changes in the surface chemistry induced by plasma oxidation can spatially be counteracted very cleanly and reliab...

Biomimetic fingertips for robots and prostheses need to combine compliant grip and tactile sensing with robustness in diverse environments. We have evaluated materials for use in a compliant, fluid-filled artificial fingertip that incorporates multimodal sensing of contact, texture and thermal properties. A variety of silicone elastomers were tested for hardness, wear-rate, and stress–strain re...

Two approaches are currently used to correct overerupted/extruded posterior teeth, the “prosthodontic” and the “orthodontic” one. This report presents a novel orthodontic approach for selective molar intrusion. In two females (26 and 20 years), a modified transpalatal arch (TPA, equivalent to a couple with a 30 g net force) was used to move the tooth bodily. A 50 g force was applied to the over...

We describe the use of semiconductor nanomaterials, advanced fabrication methods and unusual device designs for a class of electronics capable of integration onto the inner and outer surfaces of thin, elastomeric sheets in closed-tube geometries, specially formed for mounting on the fingertips. Multifunctional systems of this type allow electrotactile stimulation with electrode arrays multiplex...

INTRODUCTION The aim of this study was to evaluate the frictional forces generated by 4 types of passive stainless steel self-ligating brackets (SLBs) and by nonconventional elastomeric ligatures (NCEL) and conventional elastomeric ligatures (CEL) during sliding mechanics. METHODS An experimental model consisting of 5 aligned stainless steel 0.022-in brackets was used to assess frictional for...

Recent progresses on the Kirigami-inspired method provide a new idea to assemble three-dimensional (3D) functional structures with conventional materials by releasing the prestrained elastomeric substrates. In this paper, highly stretchable serpentine-like antenna is fabricated by a simple and quick "Cut-Transfer-Release" method for assembling stretchable 3D functional structures on an elastome...