Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 7, 2026

Synthesis of Programmable Main-chain Liquid-crystalline Elastomers Using a Two-stage Thiol-acrylate Reaction
Published on: January 19, 2016
Characterization of a Thiol-Ene/Acrylate-Based Polymer for Neuroprosthetic Implants
Dang-Huy Do1, Melanie Ecker1, Walter E Voit1
1Department of Biological Sciences and Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The University of Texas at Dallas, 800 W Campbell Road, Richardson, Texas 75080, United States.
Abstract:
Thiol-ene/acrylate shape-memory polymers can be used as base substrates for neural electrodes to treat neurological dysfunction. Neural electrodes are implanted into the body to alter or record impulse conduction. This study characterizes thiol-ene/acrylate polymers to determine which synthesis methods constitute an ideal substrate for neural implants. To achieve a desired Tg between 50 and 56.5 °C, curing conditions, polymer thickness, monomer ratios, and water uptake were all examined and controlled for. Characterization with dynamic mechanical analysis and thermal gravimetric analysis reveals that thin, thiol-ene/acrylate polymers composed of at least 50 mol % acrylate content and cured for at least 1 h at 365 nm are promising as substrates for neural electrodes.
More Related Videos
11:09Constructing Thioether/Vinyl Sulfide-tethered Helical Peptides Via Photo-induced Thiol-ene/yne Hydrothiolation
Published on: August 1, 2018
06:56Characterization of Synthetic Polymers via Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time of Flight MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry
Published on: June 10, 2018
Related Concept Videos
Polymers
Polymers
Preparation and Reactions of Thiols
Structure and Nomenclature of Thiols and Sulfides
Polymer Classification: Architecture
Polymer Classification: Crystallinity
Crystalline domains are the regions where polymer chains are aligned in an orderly manner and held together in proximity by intermolecular forces. For example, chains in the crystalline domains of polyethylene and nylon are bound together by van der Waals...