Method for the production of functionalized elastomeric manufactured articles and manufactured articles thus obtained
A method is described for the production of a manufactured article ( 20 ) constituted of an elastomeric polymer substrate, in selected zones of which there are deposits of particles of nanometric size of a metal or some other compound which create a region ( 24 ) of the polymeric element having desired electrical, biocompatibility and/or dielectric properties, and such that said properties are maintained even after numerous elastic deformations of the manufactured article; the invention also relates to functionalized elastomeric manufactured articles obtained by means of said method.
1. A biocompatible elastomeric device, said device comprising:
an elastomeric support, said elastomeric support having a surface layer portion and a lower portion, and
one or more functionalized and geometrically defined nanocomposite regions within the surface layer portion of the elastomeric support, said one or more nanocomposite regions comprising neutral nanoclusters of metal, metal oxide, or other metal compound, said neutral nanoclusters having a dimension of between 1 nm to 10 nm and a density within the surface layer portion of greater than about 5×10 −3 nanoclusters/nm 3 ,
wherein one or more neutral nanoclusters of the neutral nanoclusters are implanted in the surface layer portion of the elastomeric support, and
wherein the one or more neutral nanoclusters that are implanted are not exposed outside of the surface layer portion.
2. The elastomeric device according to claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the nanocomposite region is between 5 nm and 10 μm, and the thickness of the elastomeric support is between 500 nm and 1 mm.
3. The elastomeric device according to claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the nanocomposite region is between 50 nm and 1 μm, and the thickness of the elastomeric support is between 500 nm and 1 mm.
4. The elastomeric device according to claim 1 , wherein when said nanocomposite region of said article is subject to 40% elongation strain, its electrical resistance increases by a value less than 250% relative to the resistance of said nanocomposite region at rest.
5. The elastomeric device according to claim 1 , wherein the elastomeric support comprises an elastomeric material selected from polysiloxanes, polyurethane elastomers, elastomeric fluoropolymers, elastomers based on polyolefins, polybutadiene (BR), styrene-butadiene rubbers (SBR), ethylene-propylene rubbers (EPR), ethylene-propylene-diene rubbers (EPDM), nitrile rubbers (NBR), acrylic rubbers (ACM), and those based on isobutylene and isoprene (IIR).
6. The elastomeric device according to claim 1 further comprising:
a polymeric matrix that encapsulates the elastomeric support.
7. The elastomeric device according to claim 6 , wherein said polymer matrix comprises openings for forming electrodes in said nanocomposite regions, openings for connecting electrical conductors to said nanocomposite regions, or openings for constituting sites of cellular growth.
8. The elastomeric device according to claim 1 , wherein at least two neutral nanoclusters contact one another.