Poly(vinyl alcohol) cryogel, multi-layer artery phantoms for optical coherence tomography

摘要

In this paper, we present recent development of phantoms of coronary arteries with representative mechanical properties. The phantoms were made of poly(vinyl alcohol) cryogel (PVA-C). Multilayer phantoms were fabricated by an overmoulding process. The optical properties are adjusted in each layer by the different number of freeze-thaw cycles in combination with additives. The mechanical properties of the multilayer phantoms are characterized, and various means for improving the strain hardening are investigated.