Multinuclear solid-state NMR spectroscopy of envelopes from virgin and explanted silicone breast prostheses: An exploratory study

The structure and dynamics of silicone envelopes from virgin and explanted breast prostheses have been studied by H-1, C-13, and Si-29 high-resolution solid-state NMR spectroscopy, The results indicate that this combination of techniques can be used to unambiguously identify the presence of methyltrifluoropropylsiloxane units and diphenylsiloxane units at concentrations of about 2.0% and 3.5%, respectively, in some of the envelopes, The presence of about 10% silica also was detected and a trace of lipids was found in the explanted silicone envelopes. We have also measured the proton T-2 and T-1 relaxation times of the envelopes to characterize the dynamics of the silicone in the envelopes.