Silicone (platinum-cured) Tubing

Advantages:

  • Excellent biocompatibility; no leachable additives, DOP, or plasticizers; odorless and nontoxic, fungus resistant.
  • No taste imparted to transported fluids.
  • Extremely good at low temperatures.
  • Weather, ozone, corona, and radiation resistant.
  • Minimal tendency to take a set.
  • See additional notes in "Silicone Tubing" for differences between platinum- and peroxide-cured silicone tubing formulations.

Limitations:

  • Do not use with concentrated solvents, oils, or acids.
  • Relatively high gas permeability.
  • See additional notes in "Silicone Tubing"

Application Suitability:

Acids: Poor
Alkalies: Poor
Organic solvents: Not recommended
Pressure: Fair
Vacuum: Good
Viscous fluids: Fair
Sterile fluids: Excellent

Physical Characteristics and Composition:

  • Thermal set rubber.
  • Siloxane polymers and amorphous silica.
  • Excellent compression strength.
  • Soft material.
  • Translucent, clear to light amber.

Temperature Range:

-60 to 460°F (-51 to 232°C)

Meets Classifications:

  • USP Class VI
  • EP
  • FDA 21 CFR 177.2600

Gas Permeability:

cc x mm
x 10-10
(cm2 x sec. x cm Hg

CO2: 20,132
H2: 6579
O2: 7961
N2: 2763

Cleaning/Sterilization:

  • Clean with hot water/soap solution.
  • Use nonoily soap such as IVORY.
  • Do not use synthetic detergents or oil-based soaps as they may be absorbed by the tubing and subsequently leach out into the fluid.
  • Rinse thoroughly with distilled water.
  • Sterilize as described in "Silicone Tubing"
  • Ethylene oxide (ETO) sterilization is not recommended—sufficient data are not available regarding complete outgassing of residual ETO and ETO byproducts.