Comparing the physical performance of liquid barrier films.

BACKGROUND: Barrier films have been used for many years to protect skin from the damaging effects of excessive moisture and mechanical injury. The performance characteristics important for these protective effects are mainly product durability and its ability to reduce the force of adhesive removal. Additionally, the moisture vapor transmission rate through the film needs to be high enough that maceration is prevented. The current study was undertaken to investigate various physical performance characteristics of six commercially available barrier films. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Several bench tests were used to simulate performance features of the barriers on skin including barrier durability, breathability (moisture vapor permeability), and the effect on adhesive dressing force of removal. RESULTS: Results indicated that barrier films did not perform equivalently. However, Cavilon™ No Sting Barrier Film (NSB) was shown to have significantly greater durability in the barrier integrity test than all other barriers tested and was tied for highest breathability and highest reduction in peel force from steel. No other tested barrier film performed as consistently across the different tests. CONCLUSION: These results may provide mechanistic understanding of how barriers such as NSB may clinically assist with the prevention of adhesive- and moisture-related skin damage.

Comparison of laboratory and field testing performance evaluations of siloxane-polyurethane fouling-release marine coatings.

A series of eight novel siloxane-polyurethane fouling-release (FR) coatings were assessed for their FR performance in both the laboratory and in the field. Laboratory analysis included adhesion assessments of bacteria, microalgae, macroalgal spores, adult barnacles and pseudobarnacles using high-throughput screening techniques, while field evaluations were conducted in accordance with standardized testing methods at three different ocean testing sites over the course of six-months exposure. The data collected were subjected to statistical analysis in order to identify potential correlations. In general, there was good agreement between the laboratory screening assays and the field assessments, with both regimes clearly distinguishing the siloxane-polyurethane compositions comprising monofunctional poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS) (m-PDMS) as possessing superior, broad-spectrum FR properties compared to those prepared with difunctional PDMS (d-PDMS). Of the seven laboratory screening techniques, the Cellulophaga lytica biofilm retraction and reattached barnacle (Amphibalanus amphitrite) adhesion assays were shown to be the most predictive of broad-spectrum field performance.