UV-C sterilization of the PDMS - Inês Miranda, Inês Castro
Inês Miranda, Inês Castro
Abstract
UVC light is widely used for
sterilization. The first step of this project was to proof that UVC light does
not degrade PDMS. Transparency, wettability and mechanical assays were
performed before and after UVC light exposure. The UVC light exposure was
accomplished using a commercial sterilizer, that emits 280nm light.
The following step consisted on verifying
that the sterilizer worked as supposed. In order to do that, three PDMS samples
were placed in microalgae solutions. The microalgae exhibit fluorescence when
alive, so it is expected a decrease on fluorescence after sterilization. The
first sample was sterilized using the commercial equipment, the second was
boiled in 100ºC water, and the third was not sterilized. The fluorescence was measured
in order to conclude about the effectiveness of the equipment used.