Inventors:
- Palo Alto CA, US
Laura Hartmann - Berlin, DE
Jaan Noolandi - La Jolla CA, US
Christopher N. Ta - Palo Alto CA, US
Curtis W. Frank - Cupertino CA, US
International Classification:
A61K 47/48
US Classification:
514 96, 5147726, 514 11, 514 23, 514 44 R, 514 209
Abstract:
A strain-hardened interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) hydrogel is provided. The interpenetrating polymer network hydrogel is based on two different networks. The first network is a non-silicone network of preformed hydrophilic non-ionic telechelic macromonomers chemically cross-linked by polymerization of its end-groups. The second network is a non-silicone network of ionizable monomers. The second network has been polymerized and chemically cross-linked in the presence of the first network and has formed physical cross-links with the first network. An aqueous salt solution having a neutral pH is used to ionize and swell the second network in the interpenetrating polymer network. The swelling of the second network is constrained by the first network, and this constraining effect results in an increase in effective physical cross-links within the interpenetrating polymer network, and, in turn, an increase its elastic modulus. The strain-hardened interpenetrating polymer network hydrogel is attractive and useful for medical, industrial, and personal hygiene purposes.
