UV-curable poly(ethylene glycol)-based polyurethane acrylate hydrogel

Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) with molecular weight (Mn) of 1000, 2000, 3000, and 4000 g/mol, four types of diisocyanate hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI), 4,4′-dicyclohexylmethane diisocyanate (H12MDI), isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI), and toluene diisocyanate (TDI), two types of comonomers acrylamide (AAm) and acrylic acid (AAc) that comprised up to 60% of the total solid were used to prepare UV-curable PEG–based polyurethane (PU) acrylate hydrogel. The gels were evaluated in terms of mechanical properties, water content as a function of immersion time and pH, and X-ray diffraction profiles of dry and swollen films. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 2703–2709, 1999