New Tip Design

Kwik-Sil and Kwik-Cast now come with a new tip design. The new tip is engineered to minimize leakage.

Curing Time

The properties of this silicone adhesive make it exceptionally useful for neuroscience applications, peripheral nerve studies and similar biomedical applications. These new silicone elastomers also eliminate the mess and time involved in pre-mixing other commonly used formulations (such as Wacker SilGel® and Sylgard®). Each silicone elastomer is packaged in a double barrel syringe and is automatically mixed when pressed out of the mixer tip provided. It can then be applied directly to the tissue without further mixing. The curing time of these silicones is short, reliable and reproducible thus eliminating potential costly guesswork when using other tissue adhesives. Furthermore, the curing process does not produce heat, which can otherwise cause tissue damage. WPI’s silicone elastomers are much less toxic than dental silicone because they contain no surfactant additives.

Toxicity

WPI’s silicone elastomers are based on recently developed vinyl terminated siloxane and platinum complex catalysts. They exhibit exceptional low toxicity before, during and after curing. The traditional RTV silicone systems produce either acetic acid or alcohol during condensation; these compounds are toxic to living cells. In contrast, the only by-product of condensation from WPI’s elastomers is a small amount of hydrogen gas, which was shown not to cause any effect on nerve activity in highly sensitive peripheral nerves. Both elastomers cure on contact with the tissue. Currently, WPI provides rapid-curing silicone elastomers in two different formulas: Kwik-Cast™ is a very low viscosity silicone elastomer sealant. It is able to fill small spaces around nerves and creates a continuous mass ensuring long-term recording stability. Kwik-Cast is color-coded so mixing is foolproof. It can be applied and cured underneath mineral oil. The slight longer curing time (approx. 3 minutes) makes it more suitable for stationary preparations and in vitro tissue studies.