Development of a measurement setup to determine the frictional properties of tissuemimicking materials for vascular models

Abstract In this study, a measurement setup was developed to determine the frictional properties between tissue-mimicking and implant materials. Nitinol and Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) were selected as implant materials, while Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel and silicone were chosen as tissue-mimicking substrates and compared to porcine aortic tissue. The results showed a considerably lower friction coefficient between nitinol and all substrates compared to PTFE. PVA hydrogel showed a lower friction coefficient than silicone in contact to all implant materials, but still a higher coefficient compared to aortic tissue. Moreover, parameters such as PVA concentration and aging through storage influenced the frictional properties of PVA hydrogel. Finally, feasibility of the novel measurement setup to measure friction under physiological conditions as well as a comparison with previous studies are discussed.