# BIOSILICONE ### Tactility & sound impression <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/a5gBPlJNHfk" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> ### Description A (naturally) yellow, flexible biosilicone, gelatin-based. ### Physical form Solids Color without additives: transparent, yellow ### Fabrication time Preparation time: 1 Hour Processing time: 5-10 days Need attention: every 12 hours, alternate pressing and drying, (press overnight, let dry through the day for example, or leave to dry on a roster). Leave it to dry as long as is feasible with lots of airflow. Final form achieved after: 10 days ## Ingredients * **Gelatine powder - 48 gr** * Functions as the polymeer (so it becomes a solid) * **Glycerine - 48 gr** * Functions as plasticizer that bonds with the gelatine (makes it flexible). * **Water - 240 ml/gr** * To dissolve and mix the polymeer and plasticizer ## Tools 1. **Cooker or stove** (optional: temperature controlled) 1. **Pot** 1. **Scale** 1. **Moulds** (I use a modular mold from laser cut 3 mm acrylic sheets here that are held together with screws) 1. **Spoon** ## Yield before processing/drying/curing Approx. 250 ml (make sure to evaporate enough water during cooking time) ## Method 1. **Preparation** - Weigh your ingredients - Prepare the mold and find a place where you can leave it for a while, ideally near an open window where there's air flow. 1. **Mixing and dissolving the ingredients** - bring the water to the boil - optional: add natural dye if you wish to use color - add the glycerine - add the gelatine - keep the temperature below 80 degrees celcius while stirring *very very slowly and gently* to avoid making bubbles. I prefer a simple spoon to do this, not a whisk. 1. **Cooking the ingredients** - Simmer and slowly stir the mixture between 60-80 degrees celcius for 20-25 minutes until it's like a syrup. - Longer cooking time allows more water to evaporate and as a result it will shrink less during drying. Make sure it's still liquid enought to pour. 1. **Casting** - Cast into the mould slowly to avoid bubbles - Pour from the middle and hold still, let the liquid distribute itself. - Put the mould away to dry in a cool place with lots of air flow (like near an open window). A warmer place might speed up the drying process but also allow bacteria to grow faster and can result in fungal growth. ### Drying/curing/growth process - Mold depth: 3 x 3mm layers - Shrinkage thickness: 20-30 % - Shrinkage width/length: 10-20 % **Shrinkage and deformation control** Letting it dry up to ten days to get to the final form. It will be very flexible at first but will slowly harden. Tends to curl up if it is not pressed down during drying (the design of this mold allows for airflow even when pressed). Laying it on a smooth surface helps to keep it flat, it "sucks" onto the surface. **Curing agents and release agents** None. **Minimum wait time before releasing from mold** 3 days **Post-processing** Store in a dry and ventilated room. **Further research needed on drying/curing/growth?** Casting larger volumes without growing fungus/mold, and limited warping can be challenging. Further research is advised. ### Process *preparing the mold, Loes Bogers, 2020* *thick mixture, Loes Bogers, 2020* *silicon slab just after mold release, Loes Bogers, 2020* ## Variations on this recipe - Add a **natural colorant** such as a vegetable dye or water-based ink (e.g. hibiscus, beetroot, madder) - Add **less glycerine** for a more rigid foil - **Stiffeners** such as fibres, yarn or natural debris may be added for more structure and reinforcement. - **Fillers** such as almond or sunflower oil, can be added to prevent additional shrinkage but might affect stickyness. ### Cultural origins of this recipe Bioplastic production is older than petrol based plastics. In 1500 BC, people in Egypt were already using glues based on gelatin, casein and albumin for furniture constructions. Gelatin casting as a technique has also been used in production of jelly-based foods such as aspic, jelly desserts and candy. **Needs further research?** Not sure ### References this recipe draws from - **Bioresin (gelatin) Recipe** by Cecilia Raspanti (Textile Lab, Waag), Fabricademy Class "Biofabricating", 2019, [link](https://class.textile-academy.org/classes/week05A/). - **The Bioplastics Cookbook: A Catalogue of Bioplastics Recipes** by Margaret Dunne for Fabtextiles, 2018, [link](https://issuu.com/nat_arc/docs/bioplastic_cook_book_3) ### Known concerns and contestations\* Needs further research Gelatin is an animal-based ingredient. Some might find it problematic to use resources that requires killing an animal because of religious or animal welfare beliefs. Arguments are also made that as long as there's a meat industry, it is better to use product from the entire animal, including skin and bones. Some might consider gelatin to be a product that comes from a waste stream, but this is considered controversial by others. Acrylic (for the mold) is a petrol based plastic but results in very shiny foils and sheets and can be reused endlessly for casting high quality bioplastic sheets. Using renewable ingredients is not by definition petrol-free. Imagine they have to travel long distances by plane, boat or truck: it takes fuel. Also, the effects of GMO technologies and pesticides can be harmful to the environment and it's worth using knowing the source and production standards involved. If you can afford it, buying organic ingredients is a good starting point. ### Sustainability tags - Renewable ingredients: yes - Vegan: no - Made of by-products or waste: no - Biocompostable final product: yes - Reuse: yes, by melting and recasting Needs further research?: not sure Gelatine-based bioplastics can be recasted by melting them in a pot with some water. Recycling them with PET plastics contaminates the waste stream. Compost bioplastics in a warm environment with sufficient airflow. ## Material properties ### Comparative qualities This resin is dense and rather heavy, but not rock hard like synthetic epoxy or cold like glass. It keeps certain level of bounciness to it. ### Technical and sensory properties - **Strength**: strong - **Hardness**: rigid - **Transparency**: transparent - **Glossiness**: matt - **Weight**: heavy - **Structure**: closed - **Texture**: medium - **Temperature**: medium - **Shape memory**: high - **Odor**: moderate in final product, high during production - **Stickiness**: low - **Weather resistance:** low - **Acoustic properties:** needs further research - **Anti-bacterial:** needs further research - **Non-allergenic:** needs further research - **Electrical properties:** needs further research - **Heat resistance:** low - **Water resistance:** water resistant - **Chemical resistance:** needs further research - **Scratch resistance:** moderate - **Surface friction:** medium - **Color modifiers:** none ## About this entry ### Maker(s) of this sample - Name: Loes Bogers - Affiliation: Fabricademy student at Waag Textile Lab Amsterdam - Location: Rotterdam, the Netherlands - Date: 06-03-2020 – 16-03-2020 ### Environmental conditions - Outside temp: 5-11 degrees Celcius - Room temp: 18 – 22 degrees Celcius - PH tap water: 7-8 ### Recipe validation Has recipe been validated? Yes By Cecilia Raspanti, Textile Lab, Waag Amsterdam, 9 March 2020 ### Estimated cost (consumables) in local currency 2,56 Euros for a yield of approx 300 ml ### Local supplier/sourcing info Gelatin powder - Jacob Hooy (online retailers) Glycerine 1.23 - Orphi/Chempropack (online retailers) Molds - Houseware stores, thrift shops ## Copyright information ### This recipe is in the public domain (CC0) Yes ### This recipe was previously published by someone else Yes, in: **Bioresin (gelatin) Recipe** by Cecilia Raspanti (Textile Lab, Waag), Fabricademy Class "Biofabricating", 2019, [link](https://class.textile-academy.org/classes/week05A/). ##References - **The Secrets of Bioplastic** by Clara Davis (Fabtex, IAAC, Fab Lab Barcelona), 2017, [link](https://issuu.com/nat_arc/docs/the_secrets_of_bioplastic_). - **The Bioplastics Cookbook: A Catalogue of Bioplastics Recipes** by Margaret Dunne for Fabtextiles, 2018, [link](https://issuu.com/nat_arc/docs/bioplastic_cook_book_3) - **Bioresin (gelatin) Recipe** by Cecilia Raspanti (Textile Lab, Waag), Fabricademy Class "Biofabricating", 2019, [link](https://class.textile-academy.org/classes/week05A/). ## Images of final product *Bioresin slab, Loes Bogers, 2020* *Bioresin slab, Loes Bogers, 2020* *Bioresin slab and half dome, Loes Bogers, 2020*