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Foldable micropatterned hydrogel film made from biocompatible PCL‐ b ‐PEG‐ b ‐PCL diacrylate by UV embossing
Author(s) -
Zhu Ai Ping,
ChanPark Mary B.,
Gao Jian Xia
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of biomedical materials research part b: applied biomaterials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.665
H-Index - 108
eISSN - 1552-4981
pISSN - 1552-4973
DOI - 10.1002/jbm.b.30348
Subject(s) - materials science , polydimethylsiloxane , biocompatibility , embossing , polycaprolactone , ethylene glycol , microchannel , composite material , substrate (aquarium) , copolymer , adhesion , chemical engineering , polymer chemistry , polymer , nanotechnology , oceanography , geology , engineering , metallurgy
Foldable hydrogel films with micropatterns measuring 480 μm by 45 μm by 54 μm by 2 cm (width of microchannel by width of microwall by height of wall by length of pattern) were made by UV embossing of a block copolymer of polycaprolactone (PCL) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), specifically PCL‐ b ‐PEG‐ b ‐PCL‐diacrylate (DA), with a polydimethylsiloxane mold. The mold was treated with Ar/CF 4 plasma to simultaneously promote microchannel filling and demolding, and the glass substrate was modified with 3‐(trimethoxysilyl) propyl acrylate to promote hydrogel adhesion to avoid delamination of the gel during demolding. The micropatterned hydrogel film was detached from the glass substrate by freeze‐drying. As the films were demolded, the microstructured pattern was well replicated in the hydrogel. The gel pattern dimensions shrank with freeze‐drying and increased with water swelling, but under both conditions, the gel micropattern morphology was perfectly preserved. PCL‐ b ‐PEG‐ b ‐PCL‐DA hydrogel was found to have good biocompatibility compared with PEGDA hydrogel. A micropattern with a smaller microchannel width of 50 μm was also made. Micropatterned foldable and biocompatible hydrogel films have potential applications in the construction of tissue‐engineering scaffolds. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2006