Compositional Effects on Network Structure of Highly Cross-Linked Copolymers of PEG-Containing Multiacrylates with Acrylic Acid

Abstract

Novel ionizable polymer networks were prepared from oligo(ethylene glycol) (OEG) multiacrylates and acrylic acid (AA), employing bulk radical photopolymerization techniques. The properties of these materials exhibit a complex dependence on the network structure and composition. Dynamic mechanical analysis and penetrant sorption experiments demonstrated that the cross-linked structure of the materials depends very strongly on the AA content, even in cases where the network chain population is expected to be composed solely of ethylene glycol oligomers. The results indicate that interchain interactions are diminished as the AA content is increased, due to the increased spatial separation of OEG chains. The compositional dependence of the glass transition temperature is qualitatively described by a treatment consistent with that employed for polymer blends, and deviations from ideal blend behavior point to the importance of system-specific free volume changes during the radical polymerization process. Hence, the glass transition temperature and other network properties are closely coupled to the polymerization kinetics.

Novel amphiphilic polymer gel electrolytes based on (PEG‐b‐GMA)‐co‐MMA

“…The fact that T g1 and T g2 of conetworks based on (PEG2000-b-GMA)-co-MMA are lower than those of conetworks based on (PEG200-b-GMA)-co-MMA suggests that copolymers with longer EO groups may be more flexible. 18 Compared to the homopolymers (T g (PEO) ¼ À55 o C and T g (PMMA) ¼ 106 o C), the variation of T g1 and T g2 of the conetwork polymer may be attributed to the simultaneous chemical crosslinking and copolymerization of the monomers. The decrease in T g2 values of the PMMA component incorporated into conetwork compared with the T g value of neat PMMA can be interpreted as a result of enhanced compatibility of PEG-b-GMA segments with PMMA.…”

Biocompatible, Injectable Anionic Hydrogels Based on Poly(Oligo Ethylene Glycol Monoacrylate‐co‐Acrylic Acid) for Protein Delivery

“…[16] Different approaches have been developed to make PEG-based hydrogels. [24][25][26][27] This latter approach is adopted in this study to develop simple, economical injectable PEG-based hydrogels for protein controlled release. Hubbell and coworkers first reported bioerodible PEG-based hydrogels using diacrylate terminated macromers, [17] and thoroughly characterized their permeability and network structure.…”

“…[24][25][26] Furthermore, poly(acrylic acid) is believed to mimic heparin which possess antithrombin-activating properties, [41] and may promote anti-inflammatory processes. The presence of AA provides negative charge in the hydrogel at physiological pH that can improve the retention of the entrapped, positively charged proteins through electrostatic interactions for sustained delivery.…”

Brillouin study of photopolymerization process of two-monomer systems

“…Polymers of dimethacrylate-based networks formed during photopolymerization process are frequently used in high performance applications such as dental restorative materials and information storage systems [2][3][4][5][6].…”