Copolymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM), itaconamic acid (IAM; 4-amino-2-methylene-4-oxobutanoic acid) and β-cyclodextrin was investigated in this study. β-cyclodextrin was at first modified by reacting with allyl glycidyl ether to substitute its OH end groups with moieties containing double bonds to facilitate the subsequent radical copolymerization with NIPAM and IAM. It was reporte...

A fiber-optic coupled attenuated total reflection (ATR)-FT-IR spectroscopy technique was applied to the study of two different therapeutic delivery systems, acid degradable hydrogels and nanoparticles. Real time exponential release of a model protein, human serum albumin (HSA), was observed from two different polymeric hydrogels formulated with a pH sensitive cross-linker. Spectroscopic examina...

Soft alginate hydrogels support robust neurite outgrowth, but their rapid disintegration in solutions of high ionic strength restricts them from long-term in vivo applications. Aiming to enhance the mechanical stability of soft alginate hydrogels, we investigated how changes in pH and ionic strength during gelation influence the swelling, stiffness, and disintegration of a three-dimensional (3D...

A super-absorbent hydrogel was developed by crosslinking of 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid (AMPS) and acrylic acid with hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) for controlled release drug delivery of captopril, a well known antihypertensive drug. Acrylic acid and AMPS were polymerized and crosslinked with HPMC by free radical polymerization, a widely used chemical crosslinking method...

Two phenylboronic acid based glucose-sensitive hydrogels, A.PBA-DMAPMA-EGDMA and A.PBA-PEG, were initially prepared by free-radical polymerization. Swelling properties of the gels were studied by determining the diameter changes in different buffer solutions, with or without glucose or fructose. The hydrogels were designed as "valves" to control the flow of glucose solutions. The results showed...

Synthesis and application of poly (3-Acrylamidopropyl)-trimethylammonium chloride (PAPTMACl) hydrogels as adsorbents for removal of toxic anions such as arsenate from water were investigated. PAPTMACl hydrogels were synthesized in the form of small cylinders, with using N, N’-methylene-bisacrylamide (MBA) as crosslinker. N,N,N’,N’-tetramethylethylenediamine (TEMED) was used as an accelerator, a...

We use instrumented indentation to characterize the mechanical and transport behavior of a pH-sensitive hydrogel in various aqueous buffer solutions. In the measurement, an indenter is pressed to a fixed depth into a hydrogel disk and the load on the indenter is recorded as a function of time. By analyzing the load–relaxation curve using the theory of poroelasticity, the elastic constants of th...

A novel pH-responsive superabsorbent hydrogel based on gelatin was prepared through crosslinking copolymerization of poly (acrylic acid) and poly (itaconic acid). The copolymerization conditions including monomers, initiator, gelatin and crosslinker concentration, reaction temperature, and neutralization percent were systematically optimized to achieve a hydrogel with swelling capacity as high ...

Sodium alginate (SA) and gelatine (G) based hydrogels for biomedical applications, such as wound dressing, were crosslinked by calcium chloride (CaCl2) or glutaraldehyde (GTA) in order to overcome their exudates solubility. Swelling behaviour of prepared hydrogels in phosphate buffered saline with different pH value at 37 ° C was compared. It was proved that the crosslinking agent concentration...