Expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) grafts are commonly used in vascular bypass surgeries and peripheral arterial reconstructions to repair and reconstruct blood vessels. However, current ePTFE grafts often cause scar tissue formation due to their dense structure, contributing to compliance mismatch and limiting their long-term effectiveness and integration with the host. The goal of this research project was to utilize multiple characterization techniques to determine the melting point, crystallinity, and microstructure of raw PTFE resin, heat-treated resin, and extruded and expanded PTFE tubing. Characterization techniques included the determination of the melting point and crystallinity percentages using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and analysis of the surface morphology using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images. A PTFE pelletizer and extruder was designed to be compatible with a mechanical tensile tester and optimized to remove air and compress the resin and lubricant mixture to create PTFE extruded tubing . This will allow for student-led ePTFE production to reduce overall purchasing costs and increase tunability of tubing production factors to optimize tubing thickness, mechanical properties, and compliance. These techniques aim to guide the fabrication of ePTFE grafts created by student researchers to enhance biological integration with vasculature and long-term clinical performance.
