Abstract
Photopolymerisation continues to be a popular method for the fabrication of biomedical hydrogels for drug delivery, cell encapsulation and tissue engineering applications. In this chapter, random copolymers based on N,N-diethylacrylamide (DEAAm), 1-vinyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NVP) and N,N-Dimethylacrylamide (DMAAm) produced by free radical photopolymerisation are discussed. To elucidate the effect of photoinitiator type on the properties of the resultant copolymers, two ultraviolet (UV) light sensitive initiators were investigated in the synthesis, namely 1-hydroxycyclohexylphenylketone (Irgacure® 184) and 2-hydroxy-1-[4-(hydroxy-ethoxy)phenyl]-2-methyl-1-propanone (Irgacure® 2959). Poly(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate was used as the crosslinking agent. The hydrogels were synthesised to have lower critical solution temperatures (LCSTs) close to body temperature, which is favourable particularly for 'smart' drug delivery applications. The chemical structure of the xerogels was characterised by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Properties such as the glass transition temperature, lower critical solution temperature, pulsatile swelling and mechanical behaviour were investigated using modulated differential scanning calorimetry (MDSC), swelling analysis and oscillatory rheological studies. Photoinitiators commonly used in hydrogel polymerisation are discussed throughout this study, while particular attention is paid to evaluating the copolymers synthesised to establish what effect the photoinitiator chosen had on the resultant hydrogel properties.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Polymer Initiators |
Publisher | Nova Science Publishers, Inc. |
Pages | 197-216 |
Number of pages | 20 |
ISBN (Print) | 9781617613043 |
Publication status | Published - 2011 |
Keywords
- Irgacure initiators
- Lower critical solution temperature
- Rheometry
- Smart polymer
- Swelling studies
- UV polymerisation
- Xerogel