Silicone crosslinked by ionizing radiation as potential polymeric matrix for drug delivery

This work describes the use of a catalysis-free system for crosslinking of silicone. Biomedical Grade silicone was crosslinked by ionizing radiation and the physico-chemical and biocompatibility properties of the resulting material were evaluated. High gel content (>90%) was obtained at the irradiation dose of 25 kGy, as indicated by gel fraction measurements. Swelling measurements showed a trend towards stabilization of crosslinking at 75 kGy. DMTA measurements showed that crystallization was impaired by the crosslinking reaction. The in vitro cytotoxicity data showed that radiation-induced crosslinking and degradation did not promote any toxicity in irradiated silicone.