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Published on: July 10, 2013
Photo-cross-linked PDMSstar-PEG hydrogels: synthesis, characterization, and potential application for tissue
Yaping Hou1, Cody A Schoener, Katherine R Regan
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-3120, USA.
None:
Inorganic-organic hydrogels with tunable chemical and physical properties were prepared from methacrylated star polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS(star)-MA) and diacrylated poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG-DA) for use as tissue engineering scaffolds. A total of 18 compositionally unique hydrogels were prepared by photo-cross-linking, varying weight ratios of PEG-DA and PDMS(star)-MA of different molecular weights (M(n)): PEG-DA (M(n) = 3.4k and 6k g/mol) and PDMS(star)-MA (M(n) = 1.8k, 5k, and 7k g/mol). Introduction of PDMS(star)-MA caused formation of discrete PDMS-enriched microparticles dispersed within the PEG matrix. The swelling ratio, mechanical properties in tension and compression, nonspecific protein adhesion, controlled introduction of bioactivity, and cytotoxicity of hydrogels were studied. This library of inorganic-organic hydrogels with tunable properties provides a useful platform to study the effect of scaffold properties on cell behavior.
