Surface etching of silicone elastomers by depolymerization

Silicone elastomer surfaces that are rough at the nanometer to micron scales could be useful for biomaterials, but there are few efficient routes for their preparation. Silicones undergo depolymerization under equilibrating conditions. We demonstrate that surface roughness can be induced by depolymerizing silicone elastomers using triflic acid, tetrabutylammonium fluoride or KOH as catalysts. The efficiency of depolymerization, however, is …