Poly(methyl ethylene phosphate) hydrogels

Abstract A degradable and water-soluble polyphosphoester (PPE), namely poly(methyl ethylene phosphate)-dimethacrylate (PMEP-DMA), was synthesized and crosslinked by UV irradiation to prepare PPE-hydrogels. Hydrogels with 10 and 15 wt% of PMEP were prepared after UV-irradiation with an additional 0.2 wt% of photoinitiator. The colorless and transparent PPE hydrogels were studied for their swelling and water uptake. The rheological analysis demonstrated their viscoelastic behavior. The PPE hydrogels were compared to poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogels prepared from PEG-macromonomers of similar degrees of polymerization. Hydrolysis experiments proved a successful disintegration of the PPE hy…