Skin-mimetic PVA/PVB nanoweb coating for silicone surfaces
A covalently bonded nanofibrous PVA/PVB coating technology that transforms silicone surfaces to mimic human skin's wetting, droplet pinning, and friction properties. The coating addresses PDMS limitations including biofluid runoff, water leaching, and interfacial delamination, enabling realistic skin models for product testing and medical device development.
Overview
This technology is a covalently bonded, amphiphilic PVA/PVB nanofibrous coating that transforms silicone (PDMS) surfaces into skin-mimetic interfaces. It replicates human skin's wetting behavior, droplet pinning, and boundary friction, addressing key limitations of raw PDMS — hydrophobicity, low friction, and poor fluid retention.
The coating enables realistic skin simulants for evaluating how products and fluids interact with skin, supporting applications in product testing, medical device development, and other areas requiring controlled surface wetting and friction.
Technical specifications
The coating is produced through a multi-step process:
- Oxygen plasma treatment of the PDMS surface generates reactive silanol groups
- Electrospinning deposits an isotropic non-woven web from a PVA/PVB/citric acid dope with controlled fiber diameter and porosity
- Hot-roll calendering at 130–140°C flattens surface asperities into skin-mimetic topography, triggers in situ ester crosslinking, and forms permanent covalent Si–O–C interfacial bonds
Key performance characteristics:
- Static wettability locked at 75°–90°
- Contact angle hysteresis greater than 35°, enabling robust droplet pinning with no roll-off at 90° tilt
- Boundary friction pinned at µ = 0.4–0.6
- Crosslinking and covalent bonding prevent PVA water-leaching and interfacial delamination under repeated wet rubbing
- Raster electrospinning onto 1" coupons provides reproducible, uniform, high-throughput fabrication
Technology readiness level
The technology is in the development and validation stage. A 12-month research program comprises four work packages: dope formulation and electrospinning optimization; reactive calendering and interfacial bonding; metrology and functional validation; and prototype delivery.
Validation includes 3D surface topography, wetting hysteresis, drop pinning at 90° tilt, friction, complex fluid transfer, and durability over 1,000 rubbing cycles and 30 washings. The program concludes with delivery of validated skin-mimetic silicone coupons and a technical dossier.
About IMT inc
IMEDITEC Co., Ltd. is a South Korean medical device manufacturer specializing in the development and sale of products utilizing bio-interface technology. The company utilizes advanced manufacturing processes, including nanofiber production, precision coating, surface modification, and surface patterning, to create functional medical supplies. These technologies enable the production of specialized items such as wound dressings, aimed at providing high-quality solutions for regenerative medicine and patient care.
The company focuses on advancing regenerative medical technologies to improve treatment outcomes for patients globally. By leveraging its core competencies in functional surface control and convergence medical manufacturing, IMEDITEC seeks to establish itself as a competitive supplier in the medical device market. As a small corporation based in Gwangju, the company continues to innovate in the medical sector with a focus on meeting customer needs through specialized, high-performance medical equipment.
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