ORCID

0009-0004-4597-0825

Keywords

Polymers, Rheology, Hemostasis

Abstract

Hemorrhage is a leading cause of preventable death all over the world, and existing hemostatic materials have limitations, especially when it comes to treating non-compressible deep injuries. In parallel, no standardized, reproducible metric exists for quantifying the cohesion of viscoelastic biomaterials, a critical property in determining the clinical performance of injectable biomaterials. This dissertation addresses both gaps. The Modulus of Cohesion (MOC) is introduced as the first quantifiable cohesion metric, derived directly from oscillatory rheometry. Unlike existing cohesion tests, the MOC is conceptually based on a material’s capacity to store energy, and it has been validated against established quantitative methods. The MOC can be applied as a universal tool across all classes of viscoelastic biomaterials. The development of SilFoam demonstrates that a two-component PDMS system that expands in situ can surpass the performance of current commercial hemostats using mechanical tamponade alone, while simultaneously providing antibacterial protection. Further, SilAlFoam advances beyond the tamponade-only system by combining mechanical tamponade and coagulation acceleration into a single injectable sponge. A viscoelastic model has been applied for the first time to this kind of material, establishing a predictive relationship between mechanical properties and functional performance. Together, these contributions establish a new rheometric standard for biomaterial cohesion and a new design framework for injectable expanding hemostatic materials.

Completion Date

2026

Semester

Spring

Committee Chair

Mukhopadhyay, Kausik

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Engineering and Computer Science

Department

Materials Science and Engineering

Format

PDF

Document Type

Dissertation

Identifier

DP0053170

Release Date

5-15-2028

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Available for download on Monday, May 15, 2028

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