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Updated: May 27, 2026

Synthesis of Soft Polysiloxane-urea Elastomers for Intraocular Lens Application
Published on: March 8, 2019
The generation of hydrophilic polypeptide-siloxane conjugates via n-carboxyanhydride polymerisation
Paul D Thornton1, Ruairi Brannigan, Joanna Podporska
1School of Chemical Sciences, Dublin City University, Dublin 9, Ireland. paul.d.thornton@dcu.ie
Abstract:
A novel methodology to create covalently linked polypeptide-siloxane hybrid materials by controlled n-carboxyanhydride ring opening polymerisation is disclosed. Poly-L-glutamic acid and poly-L-lysine conjugated products were formed that possessed excellent surface wettability. In addition, the poly-L-lysine-siloxane hybrids formed demonstrated bactericidal attributes against gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and gram-negative Escherichia coli. It is anticipated that these materials may be of significance for the generation of hydrophilic siloxane-containing polymers that are commonly employed in contemporary medical devices.
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