The biomedical industry uses tissue adhesives for applications such as bandages, secondary dressings, wound closure and, surgical sealants. The adhesive strength of these products must be clearly defined before using in a clinical setting. If the adhesive is not strong enough, the product may lead to infection or poor healing. If the adhesive is too strong, the underlying tissue may become damaged upon removal. This standard describes a test methodology for both development and characterization of these adhesives, as well as for quality control.
When developing and characterizing the material properties of these adhesives in combination with soft tissue substrates, it is important to consider the environmental conditions. Soft tissue substrates should be tested under conditions that are similar to that of the human body - preferably in a bath, but alternatively in a chamber or temperature-controlled enclosure that is set to 37° C.
For this application, we recommend the BioPuls™ Submersible Pneumatic Grips and Temperature-Controlled Bath. The grips, which are controlled with a foot pedal, are self-aligning and pneumatic. The grip's features ensure the accuracy of results, as well as allow for easy loading of the delicate, compliant and slippery specimens with both hands. We recommend using a low-capacity load cell since the seal strength forces tend to be under 10 or 20 N.
The Bluehill® 3 Peel, Tear and Friction Software Module is ideal for this type of test. This software module allows for measurement of the first peak load, average load and average load per width, the most commonly used calculations.