Thermo‐ and pH‐sensitive poly(vinylmethyl ether)/carboxymethylchitosan hydrogels crosslinked using electron beam irradiation or using glutaraldehyde as a crosslinker |
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Authors: | Shifeng Yan Jingbo Yin Yang Yu Kun Luo Xuesi Chen |
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Affiliation: | 1. Department of Polymer Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 201800, China;2. State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, China |
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Abstract: | BACKGROUND: Stimuli‐sensitive or intelligent hydrogels have been investigated for many biomedical and pharmaceutical applications. Those hydrogels with dual sensitivity will have more extensive potential applications. The aim of the work presented was to prepare a series of thermo‐ and pH‐sensitive hydrogels based on poly(vinylmethyl ether) (PVME) and carboxymethylchitosan (CMCS). The hydrogels were crosslinked using electron beam irradiation (EB) or using glutaraldehyde (GA) as a crosslinker at room temperature. RESULTS: The structures of the PVME/CMCS hydrogels obtained using the two crosslinking methods are proposed. The effects of component polymer ratio, GA content, irradiation dose, temperature and pH on the swelling behavior of the PVME/CMCS hydrogels were studied. There is a sharp decrease in the swelling ratios when the temperature increases from 25 to 37 °C. At low pH and also at high pH, the hydrogels have a higher swelling ratio; however, deswelling occurs evidently at a pH of around 3. CONCLUSION: The study shows that both EB and GA crosslinked hydrogels are thermo‐ and pH‐ sensitive, simultaneously. Thus, they may be potential candidates for both thermo‐ and pH‐sensitive applications. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry |
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Keywords: | sensitive hydrogel crosslinking poly(vinylmethyl ether) carboxymethylchitosan |
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