Search results for " HYDROGELS."

Mesoscopic and Microscopic Investigation on Poly(vinyl alcohol) Hydrogels in the Presence of Sodium Decylsulfate

2007

The structure of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogels formed as a result of freeze/thaw treatments of aqueous solutions of the polymer (11 wt % PVA) in the freshly prepared state is analyzed through the combined use of small (SANS) and ultrasmall (USANS) angle neutron scattering techniques. The structure of these hydrogels may be described in terms of polymer rich regions, with dimensions of the order of 1-2 microm, dispersed in a water rich phase, forming two bicontinuous phases. The PVA chains in the polymer rich phase form a network where the cross-linking points are mainly crystalline aggregates of PVA having average dimensions of approximately 45 A. The structural organization of freeze…

E-beam crosslinked, biocompatible functional hydrogels incorporating polyaniline nanoparticles

2012

Abstract PANI aqueous nanocolloids in their acid-doped, inherently conductive form were synthesised by means of suitable water soluble polymers used as stabilisers. In particular, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) or chitosan (CT) was used to stabilise PANI nanoparticles, thus preventing PANI precipitation during synthesis and upon storage. Subsequently, e-beam irradiation of the PANI dispersions has been performed with a 12 MeV Linac accelerator. PVA-PANI nanocolloid has been transformed into a PVA-PANI hydrogel nanocomposite by radiation induced crosslinking of PVA. CT-PANI nanoparticles dispersion, in turn, was added to PVA to obtain wall-to-wall gels, as chitosan mainly undergoes chain scission…

Xyloglucan-based hydrogels: A biomaterials chemistry contribution towards advanced wound healing

The last two decades have witnessed the introduction of several new wound dressings, with many of them being hydrogels for the advantages that these materials can offer in the application. However, despite the advancements and the wide range of dressings available, wound management is still an extremely challenging task due to its subjectivity, complexity and scarce knowledge of the wound healing process itself, and patient variability. For this reason, an interdisciplinary approach to wound care that can help reducing the incidence and prevalence of wounds is needed. One important goal would be to develop “smart” wound dressings that are easy to apply, wear and be removed, that are able to…

Photocrosslinking of dextran and polyaspartamide derivatives: a combination suitable for colon-specific drug delivery.

2007

Abstract The aim of this study was to prepare and characterize novel hydrogels with polysaccharide–polyaminoacid structure, able to undergo an enzymatic hydrolysis in the colon and potentially useful for treating inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Starting materials were methacrylated dextran (DEX-MA) and methacrylated α,β-poly(N-2-hydroxyethyl)- dl -aspartamide (PHM). These polymers were photocrosslinked by exposure of their aqueous solutions at 313 nm without photoinitiators. Different samples, shaped as microparticles, were obtained as a function of polymer concentration and irradiation time. FT-IR analysis confirmed the occurrence of a co-crosslinking between DEX-MA and PHM in all exper…

Cell adhesion on UV-crosslinked polyurethane gels with adjustable mechanical strength and thermoresponsiveness

2021

Temperature-responsive polyurethane (PU) hydrogels represent a versatile material platform for modern tissue engineering and biomedical applications. However, besides intrinsic advantages such as high mechanical strength and a hydrolysable backbone composition, plain PU materials are generally lacking bio-adhesive properties. To overcome this shortcoming, the authors focus on the synthesis of thermoresponsive PU hydrogels with variable mechanical and cell adhesive properties obtained from linear precursor PUs based on poly(ethylene glycol)s (pEG) with different molar masses, isophorone diisocyanate, and a dimerizable dimethylmaleimide (DMMI)-diol. The cloud point temperatures of the dilute,…

Salt partitioning in ionized, thermo-responsive hydrogels: perspective to water desalination

2021

Charged hydrogels are capable of swelling in aqueous salt solutions, whereby part of the salt ions is repelled due to the presence of fixed charged groups inside the hydrogel. This effect creates a concentration gradient between the absorbed solution and the surrounding fluid known as salt partitioning, offering a potential for these materials to be employed to desalinate saltwater. If the charged hydrogels are thermo-sensitive as well, then the purer, absorbed solution can be recovered by shrinking the hydrogels upon temperature change. To tailor that potential in water-purification and desalination applications, the main parameters influencing the salt partitioning, the deswelling of the …

From Biocompatible to Biodegradable: Poly(Ethylene Glycol)s with Predetermined Breaking Points

2013

Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) is the gold standard polymer for biomedical applications. PEG is known for its biocompatibility and antifouling properties and is widely used for bioconjugation. However, like other synthetic polymers in the field, PEG is not biodegradable, limiting its use for parenteral formulations and protein conjugation to a molecular weight range with a specific upper limit (commonly 40–60 kDa) to avoid polyether accumulation in human tissue. For these biomedical applications, but also for other purposes such as cleavable hydrogels and templates for porous membranes, several routes for the insertion of in-chain biocleavable moieties, such as acetals or disulfides, into PEG …

Electrical properties of γ-crosslinked hydrogels incorporating organic conducting polymers

2007

Abstract Hydrogel composites containing nanoparticles of the protonated emeraldine form of polyaniline (PANI-PE) have been synthesised by γ-irradiation, using either polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) or polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as steric stabilisers. Swelling behaviour of both hydrogels is reported, together with an electrical characterisation of composites, before and after gel network formation, performed by cyclic voltammetry and impedance spectroscopy. Similarities and differences between the two composite systems are discussed.

Two-Component Hydrogels Formed by Cyclodextrins and Dicationic Imidazolium Salts

2013

In the framework of our recent interest in studying the gelling behaviour of imidazolium salts, we took into account the possibility of obtaining two-component hydrogels by combining cyclodextrins and dicationic imidazolium salts. In particular, we used diimidazolium salts differing in the alkyl chain length and in the size, shape, and coordination ability of the anion, namely the 3,3′-di-n-decyl- and 3,3′-di-n-dodecyl-1,1′-(1,4-phenylenedimethylene)diimidazolium dibromide, and 3,3′-di-n-dodecyl-1,1′-(1,4-phenylenedimethylene)diimidazolium ditetrafluoroborate and dihexafluorophosphate. As far as cyclodextrins are concerned, to gain information on the effects of different sized cyclic oligos…

Chemical gels of scleroglucan obtained by cross-linking with 1,w-dicarboxylic acids: Synthesis and characterization

2005

Chemical gels obtained by cross-linking reaction between scleroglucan and I, omega-dicarboxylic acids having a number of carbon atoms from 4 to 8 in the chain, have been prepared and characterised. The networks show properties correlated with the number of carbon atoms of the acid and with the molar ratio carboxylic acid/glucose unit of the polymer (r) employed in the cross-linking reaction. The diffusion of theophylline, chosen as model drug, through the swelled cross-linked polymers has been also investigated and it has enabled the diffusion coefficients of the drug to be calculated under different environmental conditions. The release profiles of theophylline from tablets prepared with t…