Abstract
A novel stereocomplex poly(lactic acid) amphiphilic conetwork gel with temperature and pH dual sensitivity was synthesized by ring-opening polymerization (ROP) and free radical copolymerization. The chemical structure and composition of hydrogel were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The temperature and pH sensitivity and good amphiphilicity of hydrogel were studied using digital photos, the swelling ratios and a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The thermal stability and mechanical properties of hydrogel were studied by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and dynamic viscoelastic spectrometer. The results indicated that the hydrogel has amphiphilicity, temperature and pH sensitivity, good thermal stability and mechanical strength.
Highlights
Amphiphilic conetworks (APCNs) are novel cross-linked polymers, which are composed of covalently bonded hydrophilic and hydrophobic polymer chains
Most gels formed by chemical cross-linking have non-degradable bonds and the removal of hydrogels becomes a problem after use; because physical cross-linking is realized by intermolecular interaction and the physical hydrogels have good swelling and adsorption properties compared with chemical hydrogel [13,14]
Hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA)-PDLA and HEMA-PLLA were synthesized with different molar ratios of HEMA, D-lactide
Summary
Amphiphilic conetworks (APCNs) are novel cross-linked polymers, which are composed of covalently bonded hydrophilic and hydrophobic polymer chains. They include hydrophilic but hydrophobic polymer chains [1,2,3]. Due to their unique structure, APCNs have some unique properties, such as the independence of swelling and solvent polarity, existence of nanostructures, good mechanical properties and biocompatibility, which make them promising for applications in contact lenses, pervaporation membrane, drug delivery system, tissue engineering biomedical scaffolds, catalyst supports and so on [4,5,6,7]. Most gels formed by chemical cross-linking have non-degradable bonds and the removal of hydrogels becomes a problem after use; because physical cross-linking is realized by intermolecular interaction and the physical hydrogels have good swelling and adsorption properties compared with chemical hydrogel [13,14]
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