THE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF POLY(2-HYDROXYETHYL METHACRYLATE) COPOLYMER HYDROGELS USED AS INTRAVAGINAL RINGS

Poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate)(PHEMA)and poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-co-sodium methacrylate) [P(HEMA-co-SMA)]hydrogels with different compositions were prepared to be used as intravaginal rings,and their gelation time,water content,mechanical properties and morphology were investigated.The water content of PHEMA and P(HEMA-co-SMA) hydrogels decreased as the concentration of the monomer and the degree of crosslinking increased,while the water content significantly increased as the content of SMA,t...     

Graft polymerization of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate via ATRP with poly(acrylonitrile-co-p-chloromethyl styrene) as a macroinitiator

Amphiphilic graft copolymers are excellent additives for the development of antifouling membranes by nonsolvent induced phase separation. We report a convenient approach to the synthesis of novel graft copolymers with hydrophobic polyacrylonitrile (PAN) backbones and hydrophilic poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) side chains. Atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate was carried out with poly(acrylonitrile-co-p-chloromethyl styrene) (PAN-co-PCMS) as a macroinitiator in the presence of CuCl/2,2’-bipyridine at 50 °C in dimethyl sulfoxide. Kinetics of the graft polymerization was also evaluated. The synthesis of poly(acrylonitrile-co-p-chloromethyl styrene-g-2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PAN-co-(PCMS-g-PHEMA)) can be relatively controlled when CMS (the ATRP sites) unit in the macroinitiator is around 5 mol%. Both the macroinitiators and graft copolymers were characterized by FTIR, NMR and GPC. The surface morphology and wettability of the copolymer films were studied by AFM and water contact angle measurement, respectively. We demonstrate that phase segregation between the PAN-co-PCMS backbones and the PHEMA side chains takes place and the surface hydrophilicity of the graft copolymers increases with the length of the PHEMA side chains. Because these amphiphilic graft copolymers can be synthesized in mass, they will be useful as latent additives for the fabrication of advanced PAN separation membranes.     

Effect of ureas on the viscometric behavior of water-soluble isotactic poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate)

Isotactic poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) is soluble and has the compact random coil structure in water solution. The effect of six ureas (thiourea, urea, methylurea, ethylurea, 1,3-dimethylurea, and tetramethylurea) on the viscometric behavior of aqueous solutions of isotactic PHEMA as a function of urea concentrations at 25°C has been investigated. The compact random coil structure is found to disappear as ureas are added. The result is discussed in terms of water structure breaking and making effect of solutes, and hydrophobic interactions. In addition, experiments were performed with aqueous isotactic PHEMA solutions at four different temperatures. Isotactic PHEMA in pure water has the most compact conformation at 20°C.     

Swelling and thermodynamic studies of temperature responsive 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate/itaconic acid copolymeric hydrogels prepared via gamma radiation

The copolymeric hydrogels based on 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and itaconic acid (IA) were synthesized by gamma radiation induced radical polymerization. Swelling and thermodynamic properties of PHEMA and copolymeric P(HEMA/IA) hydrogels with different IA contents (2, 3.5 and 5 mol%) were studied in a wide pH and temperature range. Initial studies of so-prepared hydrogels show interesting pH and temperature sensitivity in swelling and drug release behavior. Special attention was devoted to temperature investigations around physiological temperature (37 °C), where small changes in temperature significantly influence swelling and drug release of these hydrogels. Due to maximum swelling of hydrogels around 40 °C, the P(HEMA/IA) hydrogel containing 5 mol% of IA without and with drug-antibiotic (gentamicin) were investigated at pH 7.40 and in the temperature range 25–42 °C, in order to evaluate their potential for medical applications.     

Development and characterization of a wettable surface modified aromatic polyethersulphone using glow discharge induced HEMA-graft polymerisation

The aromatic polyethersulphone (PES) is a well known polymer for the preparation of membranes with excellent thermal stability and chemical resistance. The disadvantage of PES-membranes is their hydrophobic character, which in contact with protein containing solutions leads to high protein adsorption and as a consequence to deterioration of membrane properties. In this report the surface modification of PES by means of glow discharge induced grafting of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) is described. Graft polymerisation creates a largely wettable layer of poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) on the surface of PES. This has been shown by contact angle measurements using the Wilhelmy plate method. Chemical characterization is carried out by means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and infrared spectroscopy/attentuated total reflection (FTIR-ATR). The influence of storage conditions on the surface properties of modified PES samples has been investigated after storage in vacuum, water, and air.     

Development of analytic microdevices for the detection of phenol using polymer hydrogel particles containing enzyme-QD conjugates

We present the fabrication of a microdevice for the detection of phenol by combining microfluidic channels and poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) hydrogel microparticles containing tyrosinase-quantum dot conjugates. PHEMA hydrogel microparticles containing conjugates of enzyme (tyrosinase) and quantum dot (QD) were prepared by dispersion photopolymerization and entrapped within a microfilter-incorporated reaction chamber in a microfluidic channel. The fluorescence change, due to the fluorescence quenching effect caused by the enzyme reaction between phenol and tyrosinase, was used to detect phenol. The fluorescence intensity of PHEMA hydrogel microparticles containing tyrosinase-QD conjugates at 585 nm decreased with phenol concentration. In conclusion, the microfluidic channels fabricated in this study entrapping PHEMA hydrogel microparticles containing enzyme-QD conjugates show the potential to be used as an analytic microdevice for the detection of phenol.     

Development and characterization of a wettable surface modified aromatic polyethersulphone using glow discharge induced HEMA-graft polymerisation

The aromatic polyethersulphone (PES) is a well known polymer for the preparation of membranes with excellent thermal stability and chemical resistance. The disadvantage of PES-membranes is their hydrophobic character, which in contact with protein containing solutions leads to high protein adsorption and as a consequence to deterioration of membrane properties. In this report the surface modification of PES by means of glow discharge induced grafting of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) is described. Graft polymerisation creates a largely wettable layer of poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) on the surface of PES. This has been shown by contact angle measurements using the Wilhelmy plate method. Chemical characterization is carried out by means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and infrared spectroscopy/attentuated total reflection (FTIR-ATR). The influence of storage conditions on the surface properties of modified PES samples has been investigated after storage in vacuum, water, and air.     

聚甲基丙烯酸羟乙酯树脂对胆红素的吸附研究

本文通过水相悬浮聚合制备了大孔交联聚甲基丙烯酸羟乙酯（PHEMA）树脂，研究了PHEMA树脂以及用乙醇胺功能基化后的PHEMA树脂对胆红素的吸附性能。结果表明，PHEMA树脂对胆红素的吸附性能受树脂孔结构，吸附温度，离子强度以及溶液中白蛋白的影响。该类吸附剂对胆红素有良好的吸附性能，其中用乙醇胺功能基化的树脂表现出更好的吸附能力。     

Biodegradable Polymers from Renewable Sources. New Hemicellulose‐Based Hydrogels

Hemicellulose/poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA)‐based hydrogels were prepared by the radical polymerization of HEMA with hemicellulose purposely modified with well‐defined amounts of methacrylic functions using a redox initiator system. Oligomeric hydrosoluble hemicelluloses produced from spruce chips were used for modification studies. The chemical modification of hemicellulose was performed with 2‐[(1‐imidazolyl)formyloxy]ethyl methacrylate as a modifying agent and triethylamine as the catalyst. The kinetics of the modification reaction was monitored by means of ¹H NMR spectroscopy. The resulting hydrogels obtained after a 30 min reaction were homogeneous, elastic, and transparent materials.     

Initiated chemical vapor deposition of linear and cross-linked poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) for use as thin-film hydrogels

Initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD) is able to synthesize linear and cross-linked poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) thin films, in one step, from vapors of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), ethylene glycol diacrylate (EGDA), and tert-butyl peroxide (TBPO) without using any solvents. This all-dry technique also allows control of the cross-link density by adjusting the partial pressure of the cross-linking agent EGDA in the vapor phase. Films with specific cross-link densities and hence thermal, wetting, and swelling properties can be created in one single vacuum processing step. Through selective thermal decomposition of the initiator TBPO, films with well-defined chemical structures and full functionality retention can be deposited, which is evident in the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses. These spectroscopic methods also facilitate determination of EGDA incorporation in the cross-linked films based on the fact that HEMA contains a hydroxyl group but EGDA does not. For the linear PHEMA depositions, the growth rate was found to be nonlinear in the partial pressure of HEMA, possibly due to nonlinear multilayer adsorption and/or primary termination. The EGDA/HEMA ratio in the films systematically increased from 0.00 to 0.46 as the EGDA partial pressure was raised. The onset temperatures of decomposition were between 270 and 302 degrees C for the linear and the most cross-linked films, respectively. Thermal annealing at approximately 430 degrees C resulted in minuscule amounts of residue for all films, linear or cross-linked. The most cross-linked film had approximately 99.50% thickness removed after annealing. The contact angle was found to increase with increasing cross-link density. Significant contact-angle hysteresis was observed, indicating surface reconfiguration, and the lowest receding angle was 17 degrees for the linear film. Swelling measurements using spectroscopic ellipsometry showed that the degree of swelling decreased with increasing EGDA incorporation. The water content decreased from 35% (v/v) for the linear film to below 10% (v/v) for the most cross-linked film. These results show that iCVD is able to produce PHEMA thin films that function as hydrogels when soaked in water. The spectroscopic results, the contact-angle results, and the swelling analysis altogether prove the retention of the hydrophilic pendant groups in the iCVD process.     

Sorption of water in hydrophilic polymers—I Sorption isotherms in copolymers of hydroxyethyl methacrylate and hydroxyethoxyethyl methacrylate

Sorption isotherms of water vapour were determined for crosslinked poly-2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (PHEMA), poly-2-(2′-hydroxyethoxy)ethyl methacrylate (PHEOEMA) and statistical copolymers at 35°. In the case of PHEMA the amount sorbed does not depend on the porosity of structure: sorption is influenced by the crosslinking parameters only at higher activities. The isotherm of PHEMA is S-shaped, while that of PHEOEMA, is convex; at lower activities, the sorption in mol/mol is higher in PHEMA than in PHEOEMA, although the former has a lower content of polar groups per monomer unit. It seems that the differences between isotherms could be explained by the fact (in principle identical with Kargin's hypothesis) that PHEMA is in the glassy state at the temperature of measurement, while the state of PHEOEMA is viscoelastic. The sorption data were used to calculate the parameters of the B.E.T. equation modified by Anderson; the concentrations of the sorption sites thus determined do not oppose the view that strongly bound water molecules are sorbed between two hydroxyl groups. The dependence of the Flory-Huggins interaction parameter χ on the volume fraction of the polymer exhibits a marked change of slope at a concentration roughly corresponding to the water content needed to transform the polymer from the glassy into the viscoelastic state at 35°. The Zimm clustering function indicates, at a higher water content, a considerable tende`ncy towards clustering; however, for samples in the glassy state and at low amounts sorbed, this function assumes negative values, suggesting mutual isolation of the molecules of the sorbate.     

星型两亲性聚己内酯-b-聚甲基丙烯酸(2-羟乙酯)嵌段共聚物的合成和表征

通过开环聚合(ROP)和原子转移自由基聚合(ATRP)制备了一类新型的两亲性嵌段共聚物——六臂星形聚(ε-已内酯)-b-聚甲基丙烯酸(2-羟乙酯)(6sPCL-b-PHEMA).6sPCL-b-PHEMA通过三步反应合成:(1)双季戊四醇开环聚合ε-己内酯的合成6sPCL;(2)以2-溴异丁基酰溴封端星形聚合物制备大分...     

Understanding mechanical characteristics of cellulose nanocrystals reinforced PHEMA nanocomposite hydrogel: in aqueous cyclic test

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) can be embedded within hydrogels to form tough and strong nanocomposite materials, which possess biomimetic properties from hydrogels including good biocompatibility, permeability and flexible mechanical characteristics. There are many potential applications for these strong nanocomposite hydrogels in medical devices, such as wound dressing or super absorbents. Whereas, the research on the mechanical properties of CNC reinforced nanocomposite remains at superficial level, and their nonlinear mechanical responses are rarely investigated in previous reports. Mechanical characteristics of CNC reinforced poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) nanocomposite hydrogels, in terms of stress–strain correlations, fracture mechanism, and cyclic stretching responses, have been investigated in this work. Experimental results show that the modulus of the nanocomposite hydrogel tends to increase with increasing CNC content. Theoretical foundation for analysing the mechanical properties of hydrogels based on Mooney–Rivlin hyperelastic model, Voigt model and Reuss model has been developed and validated, which provides the prediction of the mechanical responses of CNC reinforced nanocomposite hydrogel to tension, especially the nonlinear responding behaviour.     

Dilute solution properties of tactic poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate)

Isotactic and syndiotactic poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) have been prepared. Intrinsic viscosity–molecular weight relationships were established for the isotactic and syndiotactic PHEMA in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) at 25°C by solution viscometry and light scattering. The unperturbed dimensions and interaction parameters were examined in DMF, water, methanol, ethanol, and water–methanol (1:7 by volume) mixture for isotactic PHEMA and in DMF, methanol, and water–methanol (1:7 by volume) mixture for syndiotactic PHEMA using the Stockmayer–Fixman representation. The results suggest that the compact random coil structure for isotactic PHEMA occurs in water solvent and the isotactic PHEMA is more highly extended in polar solvents.     

Layer-by-layer deposition of polyelectrolyte macroinitiators for enhanced initiator density in surface-initiated ATRP

The layer-by-layer (L-b-L) deposition of oppositely charged polyelectrolytic macroinitiators has been demonstrated on planar silica substrates. The build-up of the macroinitiator multilayers was monitored by ellipsometry (up to 21 layers) and dual polarization interferometry (up to 17 layers) and good agreement was found between these techniques. The increase in L-b-L thickness was approximately linear, with an average thickness of 2.3 A per layer of deposited macroinitiator. Surface-initiated ATRP of a model nonionic methacrylic monomer, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) in a 1:1 methanol/water mixture was conducted at ambient temperature. Increasing the number of macroinitiator layers led to a significant increase in PHEMA brush thickness up to 110 nm, which is attributed to the greater surface grafting density. PHEMA brush thicknesses obtained after 22 h showed a linear dependence on the number of layers of deposited macro-initiator, with all layers exhibiting near-identical growth kinetics. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to monitor L-b-L assembly and also to confirm PHEMA growth. This technique indicated the loss of small counterions from the multilayers during L-b-L deposition and confirmed an increase in the surface density of bromoester initiator groups as the number of deposited macroinitiator layers was increased. For 17 macroinitiator layers, the bromoester initiator density is estimated to be approximately 4.9 +/- 0.2 nm (-2) from the DPI data. This is comparable to that calculated for ATRP initiator monolayers obtained by either thiol or silane chemistry. Ellipsometry suggested that the macroinitiator multilayers were weakly hydrated prior to the in situ HEMA polymerization. AFM studies indicated that the PHEMA brushes had appreciable surface roughness, but this roughness became negligible compared to the brush thickness with increasing macroinitiator layers.     

Synthesis and characterization of polycholesteryl methacrylate–polyhydroxyethyl methyacrylate block copolymers

We report the synthesis and characterization of a series of novel diblock copolymers, poly(cholesteryl methacrylate‐b‐2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PCMA‐b‐PHEMA). Monomers, cholesteryl methacrylate (CMA) and 2‐(trimethylsiloxy)ethyl methacrylate (HEMA‐TMS), were prepared from methyacryloyl chloride and 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate, respectively. Homopolymers of CMA, PCMA, with well‐defined molecular weights and polydispersity indices (PDI), were prepared by reversible addition fragmentation and chain transfer (RAFT) method. Precursor diblock copolymers, PCMA‐b‐P(HEMA‐TMS), were synthesized using PCMA as macromolecular chain transfer agent and monomer, HEMA‐TMS. Product diblock copolymers, PCMA‐b‐PHEMA, were prepared by deprotecting trimethylsilyl units in the precursor diblock copolymers using acid catalysts. Detailed molecular characterization of the precursor diblock copolymers, PCMA‐b‐P(HEMA‐TMS), and the product diblock copolymers, PCMA‐b‐PHEMA, confirmed the composition and structure of these polymers. This versatile synthetic strategy can be used to prepare new amphiphilic block copolymers with cholesterol in one block and hydrogen‐bonding moieties in the second block. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 6801–6809, 2008     

Synthesis of biocompatible nanocomposite hydrogels as a local drug delivery system

Nanocomposite biocompatible hydrogels (NCHG) were synthesised as model systems for in situ cured potentially local drug delivery devices for curing periodontal infections. The composite consists of the following components: nanoparticles (NPs), matrix gel, and chlorhexidine (CHX) as antibacterial drug. The NPs were obtained by free radical initiated copolymerization of the monomers, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and polyethyleneglycol dimethacrylate (PEGDMA), in aqueous solution. The same monomers were used to prepare crosslinked matrices by photopolymerization. NCHGs were obtained by mixing NPs, monomers, and drug in an aqueous solution then crosslinked by photopolymerization. Mechanical properties, swelling behavior, and the kinetics of drug release have been investigated. It was found that compression strength values increased with increasing ratio of the crosslinker PEGDMA. Incorporation of NPs into the matrix resulted similar compression strength as the matrix hydrogel. The hydrated NCHGs swelled more slowly but admitted more water. The drug was incorporated in NPs by swelling in CHX aqueous solution or added to the solution of monomer mixture followed by photopolymerization. Studies of release kinetics revealed that on average 60% of the loaded drug was released. The most rapid release was observed over a 24 h period for matrix gels with low crosslinking density. For NCHGs, the release period exceeded 48 h. An unexpected result was observed for NCHGs without drug in the NPs. In this case, increasing release was observed for the first 24 h. Thereafter, however, the apparent quantity of detectable drug decreased dramatically.     

Mass transfer of oxygen in poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate)

The diffusion coefficient of oxygen in poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) has been explicitly measured using an optical technique based on fluorescence quenching. This measurement represents the first explicit determination of D in PHEMA. A diffusion coefficient of oxygen in PHEMA of 1.36 × 10^?7 cm²/s at 20°C was obtained from this measurement. This value is shown to agree well with permeability data for PHEMA, the free volume theory of diffusion, and with values of D that have been explicitly measured in other methacrylate hydrogels.     

Brillouin scattering study of a polymer hydrogel

Brillouin light-scattering measurements of H₂O imbibed in hydrogels of poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) of two cross-linking densities have been made at 294 K. Increase in the amount of water imbibed in 19-30 Å size pores of the cross-linked network causes the velocity of sound to decrease monotonically from a value, which differs for the two pure polymers, to a limiting value for pure water. The absorption coefficient reaches a maximum at about 30% water content and then decreases toward that for pure water. The velocity and absorption coefficient of both pure polymer and hydrogel containing 32% water were measured from 110 to 300 K. The former decreases and the latter increases with increasing temperature, and both show a change in the slope at about 160 K for the hydrogel, which agrees with the calorimetric glass transition temperature of the hydrogel. The effect of the water on the velocity and absorption coefficient of the polymer increases with temperature. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯/聚甲基丙烯酸-2-羟乙酯复合微球的合成及药物吸放性能

采用在甲基丙烯酸甲酯（MMA）悬浮聚合过程中滴加甲基丙烯酸-2-羟乙酯（HEMA）乳液聚合组分的悬浮-乳液耦合聚合方法,制备了大粒径聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯／聚甲基丙烯酸-2-羟乙酯（PMMA／PHEMA）复合微球。PMMA／PHEMA复合微球表面以HEMA乳液聚合物为主,且具有微孔结构。PMMA／PHEMA复合微球在水和苄醇中的平衡溶胀率大于PMMA微球。PMMA／PHEMA复合微球48h异丁苯丙酸负载百分比为35．6％,PMMA为27．6％。在磷酸盐缓冲液中释放时间达到360h,释放量占负载总量的82％;而PMMA微球的释放时间为216h,释放量仅占负载总量的60％。