Synthesis and characterization of poly(HEMA‐co‐MMA)‐g‐POSS nanocomposites by combination of reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer polymerization and click chemistry

New hybrid poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate‐co‐methyl methacrylate)‐g‐polyhedral oligosilsesquioxane [poly(HEMA‐co‐MMA)‐g‐POSS] nanocomposites were synthesized by the combination of reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization and click chemistry using a grafting to protocol. Initially, the random copolymer poly(HEMA‐co‐MMA) was prepared by RAFT polymerization of HEMA and MMA. Alkynyl side groups were introduced onto the polymeric backbones by esterification reaction between 4‐pentynoic acid and the hydroxyl groups on poly(HEMA‐co‐MMA). Azide‐substituted POSS (POSS? N₃) was prepared by the reaction of chloropropyl‐heptaisobutyl‐substituted POSS with NaN₃. The click reaction of poly(HEMA‐co‐MMA)‐alkyne and POSS? N₃ using CuBr/PMDEATA as a catalyst afforded poly(HEMA‐co‐MMA)‐g‐POSS. The structure of the organic/inorganic hybrid material was investigated by Fourier transformed infrared, ¹H‐NMR, and ²⁹Si‐NMR. The elemental mapping analysis of the hybrid using X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and EDX also suggest the formation of poly(HEMA‐co‐MMA)‐anchored POSS nanocomposites. The XRD spectrum of the nanocomposites gives evidence that the incorporation of POSS moiety leads to a hybrid physical structure. The morphological feature of the hybrid nanocomposites as captured by field emission scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopic analyses indicate that a thick layer of polymer brushes was immobilized on the POSS cubic nanostructures. The gel permeation chromatography analysis of poly(HEMA‐co‐MMA) and poly(HEMA‐co‐MMA)‐g‐POSS further suggests the preparation of nanocomposites by the combination of RAFT and click chemistry. The thermogravimetric analysis revealed that the thermal property of the poly(HEMA‐co‐MMA) copolymer was significantly improved by the inclusion of POSS in the copolymer matrix. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Investigation of thermal behavior of poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate‐co‐itaconic acid) networks

The thermal behavior of poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate) [PHEMA] homopolymer and poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate‐co‐itaconic acid) [P(HEMA/IA)] copolymeric networks synthesized using a radiation‐induced polymerization technique was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The glass‐transition temperature (T_g) of the PHEMA homopolymer was found to be 87°C. On the other hand, the T_g of the P(HEMA/IA) networks increased from 88°C to 117°C with an increasing amount of IA in the network system. The thermal degradation reaction mechanism of the P(HEMA/IA) networks was determined to be different from the PHEMA homopolymer, as confirmed by thermogravimetric analysis. It was observed that the initial thermal degradation temperature of these copolymeric networks increased from 271°C to 300°C with IA content. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 1602–1607, 2007     

Preparation and antidehydration of interpenetrating polymer network hydrogels based on 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate and N‐vinyl‐2‐pyrrolidone

This work reports the preparation of 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA)/N‐vinyl‐2‐pyrrolidone (NVP) interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) hydrogels by UV‐initiated polymerization in the presence of free radical photoinitiator Darocur 1173 and cationic photoinitiator 4,4′‐dimethyl diphenyl iodonium hexafluorophosphate. The polymerization mechanism was investigated by the formation of gel network. The structure and morphology of the HEMA/NVP IPN hydrogels were characterized by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results showed that the IPN gels exhibited homogeneous morphology. The dehydration rates of HEMA/NVP IPN hydrogels were examined by the gravimetric method. The results revealed that the hydrogels had a significant improvement of antidehydration ability in comparison with poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate)(PHEMA) hydrogel embedded physically with poly(N‐vinyl‐2‐pyrrolidone)(PVP). © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Synthesis of pH‐responsive polyethylene terephthalate track‐etched membranes by grafting hydroxyethyl‐methacrylate using atom‐transfer radical polymerization method

pH‐responsive polyethylene terephthalate (PET) track‐etched membranes were synthesized by grafting 2‐hydroxyethyl‐methacrylate (HEMA) on the surface of the membrane via atom transfer radical polymerization. The controllability of grafting polymerization of HEMA on membrane surface is systematically investigated. The pH‐responsive characteristics of PET‐g‐poly(2‐hydroxyethyl‐methacrylate) (PHEMA) gating membranes with different grafted PHEMA chain lengths are measured by tracking the permeation of water solution with different pH values. The results show that the grafting polymerization is controllable, and the permeation of grafted membranes is affected by the grafted PHEMA chain lengths on the surface of membrane. The results also demonstrate that the grafted PET membranes exhibit reversible pH‐response permeation to environmental pH values. Desired pH‐responsive membranes are obtained by controlling the grafted PHEMA chain lengths via atom transfer radical polymerization method. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40912.     

Poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide‐co‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate) graft copolymers and their application as carriers for drug delivery system

Poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide‐co‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate) [P(NIPAM‐co‐HEMA)] copolymer was synthesized by controlled radical polymerization from respective N‐isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) and hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) monomers with a predetermined ratio. To prepare the thermosensitive and biodegradable nanoparticles, new thermosensitive graft copolymer, poly(L ‐lactide)‐graft‐poly(N‐isoporylacrylamide‐co‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate) [PLLA‐g‐P(NIPAM‐co‐HEMA)], with the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) near the normal body temperature, was synthesized by ring opening polymerization of L ‐lactide in the presence of P(NIPAM‐co‐HEMA). The amphiphilic property of the graft copolymers was formed by the grafting of the PLLA hydrophobic chains onto the PNIPAM based hydrophilic backbone. Therefore, the graft copolymers can self‐assemble into uniformly spherical micelles ò about 150–240 nm in diameter as observed by the field emission scanning electron microscope and dynamic light scattering. Dexamethasone can be loaded into these nanostructures during dialysis with a relative high loading capacity and its in vitro release depends on temperature. Above the LCST, most of the drugs were released from the drug‐loaded micelles, whereas a large amount of drugs still remains in the micelles after 48 h below the LCST. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

Preparation of electrorheological active ionomers from poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate)‐co‐poly(4‐vinyl pyridine)

In this study, synthesis, characterization, partial hydrolysis, and salt formation of poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate)‐co‐poly(4‐vinyl pyridine), (poly(HEMA)‐co‐poly‐(4‐VP)) copolymers were investigated. The copolymers were synthesized by free radical polymerization using K₂S₂O₈ as an initiator. By varying the monomer/initiator ratio, chain lengths of the copolymers were changed. The copolymers were characterized by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), viscosity measurements, ¹H and ¹³C NMR and FTIR spectroscopies, elemental analysis, and end group analysis methods. The copolymers were partially hydrolyzed by p‐toluene sulfonic acid monohydrate (PTSA·H₂O) and washed with LiOH_(aq) solution to prepare electrorheological (ER) active ionomers, poly(Li‐HEMA)‐co‐poly(4‐VP). © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 99: 3540–3548, 2006     

Swelling behavior of pH‐ and temperature‐sensitive copolymers containing 2‐hydroxy‐ethyl methacrylate and N‐vinyl‐2‐pyrrolidone crosslinked with new crosslinkers

Copolymers of 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and N‐vinyl‐2‐pyrrolidone (VP) and homopolymers of HEMA and VP were crosslinked in the presence of different mol% of melamine trimethacrylamide (MMAm) and melamine triacrylamide (MAAm) as crosslinkers by bulk radical polymerization. The resultant xerogels were characterized by extracting the soluble fractions and measuring the equilibrium water content. Lower critical solution transition temperatures (LCST) were measured by DSC. The properties of crosslinked HEMA and VP copolymers, VP and HEMA series were evaluated in terms of compositional drift of polymerization, heterogeneous crosslinking, and chemical structure of the relevant components. Soluble fractions of the crosslinked networks were reduced by varying the MAAm and MMAm concentrations. The influence of environmental conditions such as temperature and pH on the swelling behavior of these polymeric gels was investigated. The swelling behaviors of the resulting gels show pH sensitivity. This behavior is explained on the basis that amide groups of VP or crosslinkers could be hydrolyzed to form negatively charged carboxylate ion groups in the produced networks in response to an external pH variation. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Crosslinking vs. filler effect of carboxylate-substituted zirconium oxo clusters on the thermal stability of polystyrene

Inorganic-organic hybrid materials were prepared by step-wise free radical polymerization of styrene in the presence of zirconium oxo clusters of the general compositions Zr₆O₄(OH)₄(carboxylate)₁₂ (carboxylate = 5-norbornene-2-carboxylate or isobutyrate/methacrylate) and Zr₁₂O₈(OH)₈(carboxylate)₂₄ (carboxylate = acetate/propionate, vinylacetate, or acetate/methacrylate). Clusters with non-polymerizable ligands resulted in cluster/polystyrene blends which were soluble in toluene, whereas clusters with polymerizable ligands gave cluster-crosslinked, swellable polymers for which solvent uptake correlated with the functionality of the corresponding cluster. The onset temperatures of thermal decomposition and the glass transition temperatures of all cluster-containing polymers were higher than that of neat polystyrene, independent of whether the clusters were crosslinking or blended into the polymer.     

Structure and properties of hybrid poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate)/SiO2 monoliths

Hybrid poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA)/SiO₂ monoliths were synthesized via a sol–gel process of the precursor tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and the in situ free‐radical polymerization of 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA). The weight ratio of the starting chemicals, TEOS to HEMA, was varied between 100/0 and 0/100. Structural analysis was performed by IR and NMR. The NMR results indicated that the introduction of PHEMA in the silica networks gave rise to a lower degree of condensation of TEOS. The resulting monoliths showed more than 75% transmittance in the visible region, that is, good transparency. Mechanical properties were studied with an Instron tester, and the monoliths exhibited better compressive strength and modulus than did bulk PHEMA. Surprisingly, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) data showed greater than 50 wt % solid residue up to 700°C, possibly related to some degree of chemical crosslinking between the polymer and the silica moiety, which would greatly improve the thermal stability of such hybrid monoliths compared with a pure PHEMA. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 88: 3168–3175, 2003     

Chemically amplified,positive tone,cross‐linkable thick‐film polymer

A new class of positive tone, permanent materials has been demonstrated, which are chemically amplified (CA), aqueous‐developable, and cross‐linkable. The intended purpose is a patterning and cross‐linking method to create high sensitivity permanent dielectrics for microelectronic devices and packages. The photochemistry is based on traditional CA, acid‐catalyzed deprotection of a protected organic functionality to yield an aqueous base soluble group such as a carboxylic acid or alcohol. This CA chemistry produces high contrast and high photo‐speed patterning, which is especially valuable for thick‐film applications where high UV exposure doses are required for non‐CA materials. The photospeed is about an order of magnitude faster than commercial materials at a similar thickness. Subsequent to patterning, the remaining films or features can be cross‐linked by a variety of chemical mechanisms. The working photo‐patterning and cross‐linking mechanisms are demonstrated on a random copolymer of tert‐butyl methacrylate (TBMA) and 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA). The optical contrast (at 248 nm) was found to be 12.7 and the sensitivity, D₁₀₀, was calculated to be 50.2 mJ/cm² in a 9.07‐μm‐thick film. Undeveloped regions were cross‐linked after patterning. The esterification reaction is much slower than the TBMA deprotection, so that the cross‐linking reaction does not interfere with the photopatterning. Cross‐linking was also evident by the change in thin film stress 6.2 to 17.9 MPa during a thermal cure. Other polymers for Fischer esterification are discussed with their advantages and disadvantages along with other cross‐linking chemistries. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 759‐765, 2013     

Kinetics of atom transfer radical polymerization of crosslinkable terpolymer P(MMA‐BA‐HEMA)

A crosslinkable terpolymer P(MMA‐BA‐HEMA) was prepared by atom transfer radical copolymerization of 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate, methyl methacrylate and butyl acrylate. The structure of the terpolymer was characterized by ¹H NMR and gel permeation chromatography. The effects on the polymerization of ligand, initiator, solvent, CuCl₂ added in the initial stage and reaction temperature were investigated. The optimal reaction conditions were ethyl 2‐bromopropionate as initiator, CuCl/PMDETA as catalyst, cyclohexanone as solvent, catalyst/ligand = 1:1.5, [M]₀:[I]₀ = 200:1 and temperature 70 °C. The reaction followed first‐order kinetics with respect to monomer concentration, indicating the best control over the polymerization process, a constant concentration of the propagating radical during the polymerization, efficient control over M_n of the polymer and low polydispersity (M_w/M_n < 1.3). © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry     

Modified emulsifier‐free emulsion polymerization of butyl methacrylate with ionic or/and nonionic comonomers

A modified emulsifier‐free emulsion polymerization of butyl methacrylate (BMA) with ionic or/and nonionic comonomers was successfully used to prepare nanosized poly(butyl methacrylate) (PBMA) latices with high polymer contents. After seeding particles were generated in an initial emulsion system, consisting of a portion of BMA, water, ionic comonomer [sodium styrenesulfonate (NaSS)] or nonionic comonomer [2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA)] and potassium persulfate, most of the BMA monomer or the mixture of BMA and HEMA was added dropwise to the polymerizing emulsion over a period of 6–12 h. Stable latices with high PBMA contents up to 27% were obtained. It was found that the latex particle sizes (2R_h) were largely reduced (34 nm) by the continuous addition of monomer(s) compared to those (107 nm) obtained by the batch polymerization method. The effect of comonomer concentration on the particle size, the number of PBMA particles/mL of latex (N_d), and the molar mass (M_w) of copolymer during the polymerization were discussed. The surface compositions of latex particles were analyzed by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, indicating that the surface of latex particles was significantly enriched in NaSS or/and HEMA. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 3080–3087, 2004     

Interpenetrating polymer networks based on poly(styrene‐co‐butylacrylate‐co‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate) and SiO2

Copolymer such as poly(styrene‐co‐butylacrylate‐co‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate) p (St‐BA‐HEMA) was prepared via free radical emulsion polymerization method. The resulting copolymer was converted to silicone secondary crosslinked interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) by condensation reaction with tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS). The obtained copolymers were characterized by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Thermal properties of the copolymers were studied by using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Optical microscopy (OM) is used for studying the morphology, and then the effects of silicone concentrations, the reflux time, and composition on the phase morphology of P (St‐BA‐HEMA)‐SiO₂ IPNs were discussed. The broadening of the transition region was observed with the prolongation of the reflux time, and the tendency for aggregation of silicone on the surface was observed with Teflon as substrate plate. However, an optically transparent film was easily achieved at higher temperature due to the chemical crosslink and physical entanglement between the two phases of P (St‐BA‐HEMA)‐SiO₂. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Synthesis of well‐defined responsive membranes with fixable solvent responsiveness

A versatile method is described to synthesize a new family of solvent‐responsive membranes whose response states can be not only tunable but also fixable via ultraviolet (UV) irradiation induced crosslinking. The atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) initiator 2‐bromoisobutyryl bromide was first immobilized on the poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) track‐etched membrane followed by room‐temperature ATRP grafting of poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) and poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate‐co‐2‐(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (P(HEMA‐co‐DMAEMA)) respectively. The hydroxyl groups of PHEMA were further reacted with cinnamoyl chloride (a photosensitive monomer) to obtain photo‐crosslinkable PET‐g‐PHEMA/CA membrane and PET‐g‐P(HEMA/CA‐co‐DMAEMA) membrane. The length of grafted polymer chains was controllable by varying the polymerization time. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in attenuated total reflection and thermogravimetric analysis were employed to characterize the resulting membranes. The various membrane surface morphologies resulting from different states of the grafted chains in water and dimethylformamide were characterized by scanning electron microscopy. It was demonstrated that the grafted P(HEMA/CA‐co‐DMAEMA) chains had more pronounced solvent responsivity than the grafted PHEMA/CA chains. The surface morphologies of the grafted membranes could be adjusted using different solvents and fixed by UV irradiation crosslinking. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry     

Architecture of rod consisting of hyperbranched pendant chains‐coil block copolymers by ATRP approach

Atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) was applied to a novel synthesis of rod consisting of hyperbranched pendant chains‐coil block copolymers. The procedure included the following steps: (1) esterification reaction of poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether (PEO) with 2‐bromoisobutyryl bromide (BIBB) yielded a PEO‐Br macroinitiator, (2) ATRP method of 2‐hydroxylethyl methacrylate (HEMA) using PEO‐Br provided PEO‐block‐poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) block copolymers, (3) esterification of PEO‐block‐PHEMA with BIBB yielded block‐type polyinitiator, and (4) ATRP of HEMA‐Br inimer using block‐type polyinitiator provided coil‐rod (consisting of hyperbranched pendant chains) block copolymers. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate‐co‐glycidyl methacrylate) reactive membrane utilised for cholesterol oxidase immobilisation

Poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate‐co‐glycidyl methacrylate) p(HEMA–GMA) membrane was prepared by UV‐initiated photopolymerisation of 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) in the presence of an initiator, azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN). Cholesterol oxidase was immobilised directly on the membrane by forming covalent bonds between its amino groups and the epoxide groups of the membrane. An average of 53 µg of enzyme was immobilised per cm² of membrane, and the bound enzyme retained about 67% of its initial activity. Immobilisation improved the pH stability of the enzyme as well as its temperature stability. The optimum temperature was 5 °C higher than that of the free enzyme and was significantly broader. The thermal inactivation rate constants for free and immobilised preparations at 70 °C were calculated as k_{i (free)} 1.06 × 10^?1 min^?1 and k_{i (imm)} 2.68 × 10^?2 min^?1, respectively. The immobilised enzyme activity was found to be quite stable in the repeated experiments. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry     

Covalently tethered comb‐like polymer brushes on hydrogen‐terminated Si (100) surface via consecutive aqueous atom transfer radical polymerization of methacrylates

The hydrogen‐terminated Si (100) (Si? H surface) was functionalized by coupling with 4‐vinylbenzyl chloride (VBC) to form a Si? VBC surface, which serves as macroinitiators for the surface‐initiated aqueous atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and poly(ethylene glycol)methacrylate (PEGMA) to prepare Si? VBC? g? PHEMA and Si? VBC? g? PPEGMA substrates, respectively. The ellipsometric results revealed that the surface‐initiated ATRP of both PHEMA and PPEGMA brushes proceeded in a controlled fashion. By adjusting the monomer concentration, an eccentric polymer thickness dependence on the initial monomer concentration [M]₀ was observed for both HEMA and PEGMA, i.e., in the dilute regime, the thickness of the polymer film increases with the increase in [M]₀; however, beyond critical [M]₀, the thickness deceases gradually with the further increase. Such an eccentricity was tentatively correlated to the counteractive combination of the increase in [M]₀ and decrease in the apparent polymerization rate constant. Both Si? VBC? g? PHEMA and Si? VBC? g? PPEGMA substrates were esterified for the subsequent surface‐initiated ATRP, resulting in corresponding comb‐like brushes. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102: 2590–2599, 2006     

Synthesis and characterization of hydrophilic copolymers of maleimide derivatives with 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate: electrochemical and thermal behavior

BACKGROUND: The high‐technology industries have been the driving force in the development of new synthetic polymers that combine thermal stability with specific functional properties. In this study p‐chlorophenylmaleimide, p‐hydroxyphenylmaleimide and p‐nitrophenylmaleimide (R‐PhMI) with 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) were synthesized by free radical polymerization to obtain hydrophilic polymers, in order to study the effect of the p‐chloroaryl, p‐hydroxyaryl or p‐nitroaryl group on the copolymer composition, electrochemical behavior and thermal properties. RESULTS: The thermal behavior was correlated with the copolymer composition and functional groups, maleimide derivatives, on the copolymers. Thermal decomposition temperature (TDT) and glass transition temperature (T_g) were influenced by the functional groups of R‐PhMI moiety on the copolymer. The polymers showed an electrochemically irreversible reduction process under the conditions tested. CONCLUSION: Poly[(p‐chloromaleimide)‐co‐(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate)] copolymer shows a higher TDT than poly[(p‐hydroxymaleimide)‐co‐(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate)] or poly[(p‐nitromaleimide)‐co‐(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate)] (NPHE). T_g decreases in going from nitro to hydroxyl to chloro groups. The NPHE copolymer shows a lower stability, losing weight at 200 °C. The NPHE copolymer shows a well‐defined reduction wave which is similar to those of the other copolymers and it also shows an additional quasi‐reversible reduction wave corresponding to the nitrobenzene group. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

Preparation and drug‐release behavior of minocycline‐loaded poly[hydroxyethyl methacrylate‐co‐poly(ethylene glycol)–methacrylate] films

In this work, biocompatible hydrogel matrices for wound‐dressing materials and controlled drug‐release systems were prepared from poly[hydroxyethyl methacrylate‐co‐poly(ethylene glycol)–methacrylate] [p(HEMA‐co‐PEG–MA] films via UV‐initiated photopolymerization. The characterization of the hydrogels was conducted with swelling experiments, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (differential scanning calorimetry), and contact‐angle studies. The water absorbency of the hydrogel films significantly changed with the change of the medium pH from 4.0 to 7.4. The thermal stability of the copolymer was lowered by an increase in the ratio of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) to methacrylate (MA) in the film structure. Contact‐angle measurements on the surface of the p(HEMA‐co‐PEG–MA) films demonstrated that the copolymer gave rise to a significant hydrophilic surface in comparison with the homopolymer of 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA). The blood protein adsorption was significantly reduced on the surface of the copolymer hydrogels in comparison with the control homopolymer of HEMA. Model antibiotic (i.e., minocycline) release experiments were performed in physiological buffer saline solutions with a continuous flow release system. The amount of minocycline release was shown to be dependent on the HEMA/PEG–MA ratio. The hydrogels have good antifouling properties and therefore are suitable candidates for wound dressing and other tissue engineering applications. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Superabsorbent polymeric materials. XI. Effect of nonionic monomers on the swelling behavior of crosslinked poly(sodium acrylate‐co‐nonionic monomers) in aqueous salt solutions

A series of xerogels based on sodium acrylate, nonionic monomers such as 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate (PEGMA), and N,N′‐methylene bisacrylamide were prepared by inverse suspension polymerization. The results indicate that the water absorbencies for these two gel series were effectively improved by the addition of a small amount of nonionic monomer (HEMA or PEGMA). The initial absorption rates in deionized water were faster for the PEGMA gels than for the HEMA gels. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the spherical particle size was smaller for the PEGMA gels than for the HEMA gels. In addition, the water absorbency of the gels in various salt solutions decreased with increasing ionic strength, especially for the multivalent salt solutions. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 3666–3674, 2004