Hydrophilic Sponges Based on 2-Hydroxyethyl Methacrylate. IV. Novel Synthetic Routes to Hydroxyl-Containing Crosslinking Agents and Their Effect on the Mechanical Strength of Sponges

The use of hydrophilic poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) sponges as biomaterials have diversified over recent years. Since the poor mechanical characteristics of these materials is a limiting factor to further development, an attempt was made in this study to improve the properties of sponges by using hydroxyl-containing crosslinking agents. Two such agents, 2-hydroxytrimethylene dimethacrylate (I) and 2,3-dihydroxytetramethylene dimethacrylate (II) were synthesized by novel procedures. Sponges were then produced using these agents and compared to sponges crosslinked with divinyl glycol (DVG), a hydrophilic but less reactive agent, and with ethylene dimethacrylate (EDMA), a hydrophobic but reactive agent. The use of I, II and DVG clearly improved the tensile characteristics of sponges, and tentative explanations were advanced.