Protocol of thermal aging against the swelling of poly(dimethylsiloxane) and physical insight in swelling regimes

In this paper, an unprecedented inspection of the effects of thermal aging on swelling and wettability of PDMS as a function of the interplay between temperature (from 100 to 180 degrees C) and duration (from 20 min to 24 h) of the treatment is presented. Dichloromethane was used as sample swelling solvent and the swollen weight was measured by a method properly designed to avoid underestimation related to the volatility of the solvent.