Characterization of UV-curable Poly(ethylene glycol)Diacrylate Based Hydrogels

Poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate/polyvinyl alcohol(PEGDA/PVA) hydrogels were prepared from PEGDA and PVA as precurors by means of single UV radiation(UV ra.), UV radiation followed by high energy electron beam irradiation(Irra.), UV radiation followed by freeze-thawing(FT) or UV ra. and Irra. followed by FT, respectively. 2-Hydroxy-1-4-(hydroxyethoxy)phenyl]-2-methyl-1-propanone(Irgacure 2959) was used as a photoinitiator. The effects of the various methods on the swelling and mechanical properties of the hydrogels were investigated. The results show that hydrogels made by UV ra. plus high energy electron beam irradiation followed by FT showed a higher crosslinking density and a larger tensile strength than those made by the other methods.