Effect of Silicon Monomers on the Swelling and Mechanical Properties of (PEGMA-co-HEMA) Hydrogels

Abstract

A series of novel copolymeric hydrogels were prepared from 2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate (HEMA) and poly(ethyleneglycol) methacrylate (PEGMA), and silicon monomers such as trimethylsilylmethacrylate (TMSM) and 2-(trimethylsilyloxy) ethyl methacrylate (TMSOE). The effect of silicon monomer on the swelling and mechanical properties of the hydrogels was examined. The results showed that the addition of silicon monomers lowered the equilibrium water content of (PEGMA-co-HEMA) hydrogels due to their lower hydrophilicities than PEGMA and HEMA. From the swelling kinetics data, it was found that the hydrophobicity of TMSM is larger than TMSOE. The addition of TMSM effectively lowered Young's modulus and increased elongation of the synthesized hydrogels. The hydrogels containing TMSM showed pH-sensitivities, but those containing TMSOE showed a good stability in acid and base solutions.