SUPERCRITICAL FLUID EXTRACTION OF POLYMER ADDITIVES FOR USE IN BIOCOMPATIBILITY TESTING

Biocompatibility is the ability of a material to perform with an appropriate host response in a specific application. This response is poorly understood and so there exist inconsistencies in test results both between different laboratories and within the same laboratory. Standard reference materials and test protocols are essential. Analytical-scale supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) has been investigated as a potential standard test protocol for obtaining additives from polymer matrices. These extracts have been analysed for in-vitro cytotoxicity using standard cell culture techniques whose clinical relevance has already been established.