Autoclave
The samples were autoclaved using a SANYO Labo Autoclave MLS-3750 (Panasonic
Healthcare Company of North America, Wood Dale, IL) (Figure 2 a). This equipment allows the
user to establish the temperature and duration of the cycle. The pressure is a consequence of
these two settings. Two different cycles were tested for this procedure; five samples of each
material per cycle. The first cycle was set at 121°C for 20 minutes. These samples were
packaged according to material type in autoclavable bags (5 samples per bag). The maximum
pressure reached in this cycle was 0.20 MPa. The second cycle was set at 132 °C for 4 minutes.
This cycle reached a maximum pressure of 0.12 MPa. This cycle is known as a “flash
autoclave” cycle because it is faster. These samples were individually packaged in self-seal
sterilization pouches (Alcan Packaging, Chicago, IL). Both cycles had heating and pressurization
as well as cooling and depressurization periods that were approximately 30 minutes long.
Length = 165.1 mm
Width = 19.05 mm Height = 3.175 mm
(a)
(b)
Figure 1: Sample dimensions, (a) Top view (b) Side view
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