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Characterization of Thiol‐Ene Crosslinked PEG Hydrogels
Author(s) -
Toepke Michael W.,
Impellitteri Nicholas A.,
Theisen Jeffrey M.,
Murphy William L.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
macromolecular materials and engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.913
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1439-2054
pISSN - 1438-7492
DOI - 10.1002/mame.201200119
Subject(s) - self healing hydrogels , prepolymer , materials science , swelling , peg ratio , chemical engineering , ene reaction , polymer chemistry , composite material , organic chemistry , chemistry , polyurethane , finance , engineering , economics
Abstract The properties of synthetic hydrogels can be tuned to address the needs of many tissue‐culture applications. This work characterizes the swelling and mechanical properties of thiol‐ene crosslinked PEG hydrogels made with varying prepolymer formulations, demonstrating that hydrogels with a compressive modulus exceeding 600 kPa can be formed. The amount of peptide incorporated into the hydrogel is shown to be proportional to the amount of peptide in the prepolymer solution. Cell attachment and spreading on the surface of the peptide‐functionalized hydrogels is demonstrated. Additionally, a method for bonding distinct layers of cured hydrogels is used to create a microfluidic channel.