Silicone is often used in environments where water repellency is an advantage. Contact with water promotes the adhesion of microorganisms and biofilm formation. Depending on the application, this may increase the possibility of food poisoning and infections, the material's degrading appearance, and the likelihood of manufacturing defects. The prevention of microbial adhesion and biofilm formation is also essential for silicone-based elastomeric foams, which are used in direct contact with human bodies but are often difficult to clean. In this study, the microbial attachment in and the retention from the pores of silicone foams of different compositions is described and compared to those of commonly used polyurethane foams. The growth of the gram-negative Escherichia coli in the pores and their leaching during wash cycles is characterised by bacterial growth/inhibition, adhesion assay, and SEM imaging. The structural and surface properties of the materials are compared. Despite using common antibacterial additives, we have found that non-soluble particles stay isolated in the silicone elastomer layer and, therefore, do not possess antibacterial activity. Water-soluble tannic acid dissolves into the medium and seems to aid in inhibiting planktonic bacterial growth, indicating that tannic acid is available on the surface of the SIFs to some extent.

Silicone is often used in environments where water repellency is an advantage. Contact with water promotes the adhesion of microorganisms and biofilm formation. Depending on the application, this may increase the possibility of food poisoning and infections, the material's degrading appearance, and the likelihood of manufacturing defects. The prevention of microbial adhesion and biofilm formation is also essential for silicone-based elastomeric foams, which are used in direct contact with human bodies but are often difficult to clean. In this study, the microbial attachment in and the retention from the pores of silicone foams of different compositions is described and compared to those of commonly used polyurethane foams. The growth of the gram-negative Escherichia coli in the pores and their leaching during wash cycles is characterised by bacterial growth/inhibition, adhesion assay, and SEM imaging. The structural and surface properties of the materials are compared. Despite using common antibacterial additives, we have found that non-soluble particles stay isolated in the silicone elastomer layer, thus affecting surface microroughness. Water-soluble tannic acid dissolves into the medium and seems to aid in inhibiting planktonic bacterial growth, with a clear indication of the availability of tannic acid on the surfaces of SIFs.

The kinetics of the platinum-catalyzed dehydrocondensation reaction for five different mono-alcohols and water is studied in order to identify the ones with the highest effectiveness in releasing gaseous H 2 from the Si H groups of poly(methylhydrosiloxane) (PMHS). Our results show that the most common logic rules of alcohol reactivity do not apply in such reactions and that a set of aspects need to be considered together to understand or predict the outcome and the possible applications. In dehydrocondensation of PMHS, the use of Lamoreaux' catalyst may be considered to be a cost-effective alternative, a novel approach in characterizing catalyzed reaction kinetics under mild conditions. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first article describing the use of Lamoreaux' in this approach.