Thermoplastic polyurethane - The material used for the Erlanger silver catheter

The Erlanger silver catheter consists of a thermoplastic polgurethane elast omer (TPU). To achieve an antimicrobial effect, silver particles at a conce ntration of 0.5-1.0% by weight are incorporated into the basic material. Th e good mechanical properties were shown to remain present after the incorpo ration of the silver, er. The characteristic mechanical data of blends made of a soft and a hard TPU type approximated closely to a linear relationshi p with the ratio of the mixture. The buckling stability of catheters as a f unction of their cross section could be described by Euler's formula. This enables the buckling stability to be calculated when material constants and catheter geometry are known.