Synthesis and properties of poly(ethylene glycol) macromer/beta-chitosan hydrogels
- PMID: 15348705
- DOI: 10.1023/a:1018594614087
Synthesis and properties of poly(ethylene glycol) macromer/beta-chitosan hydrogels
Abstract
Semi-interpenetrating polymer network (semi-IPN) hydrogels composed of beta-chitosan and poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate macromer (PEGM) were synthesized and characterized for the application as potential biomedical materials. The mixture of PEGM and beta-chitosan, dissolved in water including a small amount of acetic acid, was cast to prepare hydrogel films, followed by a subsequent crosslinking with 2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone as a non-toxic photoinitiator by ultraviolet irradiation. Photocrosslinked hydrogels exhibited relatively high equilibrium water content in the range 77-83% which is mainly attributed to the free water content rather than to the bound water, hydrogen bonded with components in semi-IPN hydrogels. The crystallinity, thermal properties and mechanical properties of semi-IPN hydrogels were studied. All the photocrosslinked hydrogels revealed a remarkable decrease in crystallinity. The glass transition temperatures, Tg, of crosslinked PEGM segment in semi-IPNs increased compared with poly(ethylene glycol) itself. However, with increasing beta-chitosan content their Tg decreased owing to the higher degree of crosslinking. The tensile strengths of semi-IPNs in dry state were rather high, but those of hydrogels in wet state decreased drastically.
References
-
- Aust J Biol Sci. 1954 May;7(2):168-78 - PubMed
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources
Miscellaneous