Abstract
Pore-forming agents have a significant influence on the pore structure of hydrogels. In this study, a porogenic technique was employed to investigate the preparation of macroporous hydrogels which were synthesized by radical copolymerization of carboxymethyl xylan with acrylamide and N-isopropylacrylamide under the function of a cross-linking agent. Six kinds of pore-forming agents were used: polyvinylpyrrolidone K30, polyethylene glycol 2000, carbamide, NaCl, CaCO3, and NaHCO3. The application of these hydrogels is also discussed. The results show that pore-forming agents had an important impact on the pore structure of the hydrogels and consequently affected properties of the hydrogels such as swelling ratio and mechanical strength, while little effect was noted on the thermal property of the hydrogels. 5-Fluorouracil was used as a model drug to study the drug release of the as-prepared hydrogels, and it was found that the drug release was substantially improved after using the NaHCO3 pore-forming agent: a cumulative release rate of up to 71.05% was achieved.
Highlights
Hydrogels are three-dimensional networks composed of cross-linked polymers which are insoluble in water and can absorb a large amount of water [1]
The results showed that poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) could enhance macromolecule diffusion into the interior of the hydrogel and that this hydrogel could be used in tissue engineering and protein arrays [8]
The preparation process of the hydrogels is depicted in Scheme 1
Summary
Hydrogels are three-dimensional networks composed of cross-linked polymers which are insoluble in water and can absorb a large amount of water [1]. Hydrogels with porous structure have attracted lots of attention due to their large pore size and surface area [5]. Pore-forming agents are added during the hydrogel preparation and removed after polymerization to form the pore structure and control the pore size of hydrogels [6,7]. A kind of macroporous polyacrylamide (PAM) hydrogel for protein immobilization was developed using poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) as a pore-forming agent. The results showed that PEG could enhance macromolecule diffusion into the interior of the hydrogel and that this hydrogel could be used in tissue engineering and protein arrays [8]. A kind of DNA–polymer hybrid hydrogel was prepared using PEG as the pore-forming agent [10]. Pore-forming agents could be used to control the pore size of hydrogels [11]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
