Magnetic Resonance Imaging Techniques and Their Application to Silicone Degradation

8 Magnetic Resonance Imaging Techniques and Their Application to Silicone Degradation 

Fig e 11.19 The Xe NMR spectra of a series of fluorosilicone elastomer o-rings that have been exposed to increasing levels of long-term compressive force. The increasing loss of the free Xe signal and the shifts in the sorbed Xe signal correlate clearly with a large reduction in void volume associated with the onset severe compression set. 

Because of the widespread availability of MRI instrumentation in medical research laboratories and the amenability of MRI to the study of silicone polymers, it should not be surprising that the largest volume of literature on silicone MRI is that of silicone breast implants, where significant contributions towards long-term health and safety have been achieved [18]. Furthermore, MRI-based techniques are now heavily used in industry for quahty control purposes where sudden changes in homogeneity are of concern [16, 124]. 

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