Controlled Electron-Beam Synthesis of Transparent Hydrogels for Drug Delivery Applications

Abstract

In this study, we highlight hydrogels prepared by electron-beam polymerization. In general, the electron-beam-polymerized hydrogels showed improved mechanical and optical transmittances compared to the conventional UV-cured hydrogels. They were more elastic and had a higher crosslinking density. Additionally, they were transparent over a broader wavelength range. The dependence of the mechanical and optical properties of the hydrogels on the number of single differential and total irradiation doses was analyzed in detail. The hydrogels were prepared for usage as a drug delivery material with methylene blue as a drug model. In the first set of experiments, methylene blue was loaded reversibly after the hydrogel synthesis. Electron-beam-polymerized hydrogels incorporated twice as much methylene blue compared to the UV-polymerized gels. Furthermore, the release of the model drug was found to depend on the crosslinking degree of the hydrogels. In addition, electron-beam polymerization enabled the irreversible binding of the drug molecules if they were mixed with monomers before polymerization.

Photosensitizer-loaded hydrogels for photodynamic inactivation of multirestistant bacteria in wounds

“…Both impact the drug release behavior (amount and velocity). 25 A large mesh size leads to rapid drug release. 40 In contrast, hydrogels with a smaller mesh size in the nanometer range – e.g.…”

“…A dose of 6 kGy (determined by standard graphite calorimetry) was applied at once as described before. 25 The resulting gels had a homogenous thickness of 300 μm in swollen state and were washed twice for 1 h in PBS (pH = 7.4). Afterwards, the hydrogels were washed three times in Milli-Q water and cut into round discs.…”

“…Therefore, in this study, hydrogels were used as a carrier system for photosensitizers. 24,25 Hydrogels have been used as wound patches and bandages for several years. [26][27][28][29][30] They provide a humid matrix for wound, which is benecial for wound healing.…”

Highly stretchable gamma-irradiated poly (vinyl alcohol)/Tannic acid composite hydrogels with superior transparency and antibacterial activity

“…Hydrogels are polymer materials with a three-dimensional network structure containing large amounts of water, and are promising materials for various applications, such as sensing [1,2], soft actuators [3,4], drug controlled release [5,6], tissue engineering [7,8], joint lubrication [9,10] and other fields [11][12][13]. Poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) is a water-soluble polymer with excellent biocompatibility and non-toxicity.…”

Enhanced Polymerization and Surface Hardness of Colloidal Siloxane Films via Electron Beam Irradiation

“…Owing to its low energy consumption, environmental friendliness, easy control, and rapid curing characteristics, EB is used in various curing processes, such as composite fabrication, hydrogel synthesis, wood product processing, antibacterial modification, electrode manufacture, and surface modification. − EB curing generates free radicals to induce polymerization in monomers, as in UV curing . In contrast to UV curing, EB curing does not require the doping of specific photoinitiators and directly initiates the connection reaction between the active parts .…”