Interpenetrated Polymer Network hydrogels with high viscoelastic properties.

Hydrogels are cross-linked, water-swollen polymer networks. Hydrogels with high mechanical and viscous dissipation properties are of great interest for mechanically control drug release systems. Since hydrogels are 3D polymer network with high amount of water, it is difficult to find hydrogels with high dissipation properties via one step polymerization. Having such a network requires using more dense and hydrophobic materials with very small mesh size, which compromise their permeability and their application for drug release from such a system. The goal of this project is to test the idea of interpenetrated polymer network hydrogels (HEMA and PEGDM hydrogels) via two steps photo polymerization to have a network with different mesh sizes. In this way we can reach to a structure with higher mechanical and viscous dissipation properties while having enough big mesh size and permeability to be used for drug delivery. The project will consist of polymerization of hydrogels and mechanical compression tests on them to characterize their mechanical properties.