Enhancing and controlling the critical attributes of poly (N-vinylcaprolactam) through electron beam irradiation for biomedical applications

The primary aim of this body of work is to investigate the effect of an industrial scale electron beam sterilization process on novel PNVCL-based smart polymers. There is limited literature available that examines the effects of modifying PNVCL by electron beam irradiation, and as a means of potentially enhancing properties such as the lower critical solution temperature and mechanical behavior. Physically crosslinked poly(N-vinylcaprolactam)–vinyl acetate (PNVCL–VAc) copolymers were prepared by photopolymerization and were subsequently exposed to ionizing radiation via electron beam technology. The mechanical characteristics and phase transitions of the physically crosslinked PNVCL samples were tailored by controlling the electron beam irradiation dose. Importantly, PNVCL and PNVCL–VAc samples (5 wt % in solution) underwent a phase transition between 33.5 and 26.5 °C, following electron beam irradiation. Furthermore, all samples displayed a Young's modulus between 1024.3 and 1516.4 MPa depending on the addition of copolymer and electron beam irradiation dose. The industrial scale electron beam sterilization process proved successful in enhancing/modifying many key smart polymer properties, and this ability to formulate and sterilize in one step could prove a very attractive approach for many biomedical applications.