Properties of PVA-AA cross-linked HEMA-based hydrogels

Poly(HEMA) hydrogel is usually prepared by using 1,1,1-trimethylol propane trimethacrylate and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as the crosslinkers. Another method using PVA-AA (polyvinyl alcohol partially esterified with acryloyl chloride) as the cross linker is reported here. Two hydrogels, co-AlH9 and co-A2H8, were prepared by the polymerization of HEMA in the presence of 10% and 20% PVA-AA, respectively. The presence of PVA-AA reduced the water content from 32% to 25% in the resultant copolymer, whereas Tg did not change significantly. Co-AlH9 had an elastic modulus of 6.3 Mpa, which is much higher than 3.9 MPa and 3.7 MPa for poly(HEMA) and co-A2H8, respectively. The interfacial energies of poly(HEMA), co-AlH9 and co-A2H8 were calculated to be 0.52, 0.65 and 0.71 dyne/cm2, respectively, whereas the fractional polarities of these three hydrogels were all about 0.74. Thus a HEMA-based hydrogel with surface properties similar to poly(HEMA) but with stronger mechanical strength was successfully prepared. This copolymeric hydrogel could provide a choice other than the conventionally cross linked poly(HEMA) for various applications.