Mechanical characterization of crosslinking effect in polydimethylsiloxane using nanoindentation
Abstract(#br)Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is one of the widely-used silicone-based organic polymers. It can serve as a substrate to grow cells, mainly because of its controllable range of mechanical properties. Varying the degree of crosslinking in the polymer network allows tuning its mechanical properties in a range similar to living tissues. To study the PDMS stiffness effect on the growth and behavior of cells, it is of significant importance to explore the mechanical properties of a series of PDMS samples cured to different crosslink densities.