Radiation-Induced Synthesis of Polymer Networks Based on Thermoresponsive Ethylene Glycol Propylene Glycol Monomers
In this paper, different poly((ethylene glycol)-(propylene glycol)) methacrylate (P(EGPG)MA) hydrogels were synthesized by gamma-radiation-induced polymerization and crosslinking from a monomer–bisolvent mixture using the following monomers: (ethylene glycol)<sub>6</sub> methacrylate (EG...
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2025-06-01
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| author | Andjelka Stolic Zorana Rogic Miladinovic Maja Krstic Georgi Stamboliev Vladimir Petrovic Edin Suljovrujic |
| author_facet | Andjelka Stolic Zorana Rogic Miladinovic Maja Krstic Georgi Stamboliev Vladimir Petrovic Edin Suljovrujic |
| author_sort | Andjelka Stolic |
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| description | In this paper, different poly((ethylene glycol)-(propylene glycol)) methacrylate (P(EGPG)MA) hydrogels were synthesized by gamma-radiation-induced polymerization and crosslinking from a monomer–bisolvent mixture using the following monomers: (ethylene glycol)<sub>6</sub> methacrylate (EG<sub>6</sub>MA), ((ethylene glycol)<sub>6</sub>-(propylene glycol)<sub>3</sub>) methacrylate (EG<sub>6</sub>PG<sub>3</sub>MA), ((propylene glycol)<sub>6</sub>-(ethylene glycol)<sub>3</sub>) methacrylate (PG<sub>6</sub>EG<sub>3</sub>MA), and (propylene glycol)<sub>5</sub> methacrylate (PG<sub>5</sub>MA), along with different water/ethanol compositions as the solvent. The monomer–bisolvent mixture was exposed to various radiation doses (5, 10, 15, 25, and 50 kGy). Considerable emphasis was placed on optimizing and tuning the reaction conditions necessary for the fabrication of methacrylic networks with pendant EGPG terminals. A further investigation was conducted on the effects of monomer composition, different preparation conditions, and radiation processing on thermal properties, microstructure, swelling behavior, and volume phase transition. Special attention was dedicated to PPG<sub>6</sub>EG<sub>3</sub>MA hydrogel, whose volume phase transition temperature is near physiological temperatures. This study identifies an optimal radiation dose and a water/ethanol solvent ratio for the synthesis of the radiation-induced hydrogels. Employing ionizing radiation within the sterilization dose range enables the simultaneous fabrication and sterilization of these hydrogels, offering an efficient production process. The findings provide new insights into the role of bisolvent composition on hydrogel formation and properties, and they present practical guidelines for optimizing hydrogel synthesis across a wide range of applications. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7ebe51dfc29a4046b82dd46f212e007b |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2310-2861 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Gels |
| spelling | doaj-art-7ebe51dfc29a4046b82dd46f212e007b2025-08-20T02:45:38ZengMDPI AGGels2310-28612025-06-0111748810.3390/gels11070488Radiation-Induced Synthesis of Polymer Networks Based on Thermoresponsive Ethylene Glycol Propylene Glycol MonomersAndjelka Stolic0Zorana Rogic Miladinovic1Maja Krstic2Georgi Stamboliev3Vladimir Petrovic4Edin Suljovrujic5Vinca Institute of Nuclear Sciences-National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Mike Petrovica Alasa 12-14, P.O. Box 522, 11001 Belgrade, SerbiaVinca Institute of Nuclear Sciences-National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Mike Petrovica Alasa 12-14, P.O. Box 522, 11001 Belgrade, SerbiaVinca Institute of Nuclear Sciences-National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Mike Petrovica Alasa 12-14, P.O. Box 522, 11001 Belgrade, SerbiaVinca Institute of Nuclear Sciences-National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Mike Petrovica Alasa 12-14, P.O. Box 522, 11001 Belgrade, SerbiaFaculty of Science, Department of Chemistry, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, SerbiaVinca Institute of Nuclear Sciences-National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Mike Petrovica Alasa 12-14, P.O. Box 522, 11001 Belgrade, SerbiaIn this paper, different poly((ethylene glycol)-(propylene glycol)) methacrylate (P(EGPG)MA) hydrogels were synthesized by gamma-radiation-induced polymerization and crosslinking from a monomer–bisolvent mixture using the following monomers: (ethylene glycol)<sub>6</sub> methacrylate (EG<sub>6</sub>MA), ((ethylene glycol)<sub>6</sub>-(propylene glycol)<sub>3</sub>) methacrylate (EG<sub>6</sub>PG<sub>3</sub>MA), ((propylene glycol)<sub>6</sub>-(ethylene glycol)<sub>3</sub>) methacrylate (PG<sub>6</sub>EG<sub>3</sub>MA), and (propylene glycol)<sub>5</sub> methacrylate (PG<sub>5</sub>MA), along with different water/ethanol compositions as the solvent. The monomer–bisolvent mixture was exposed to various radiation doses (5, 10, 15, 25, and 50 kGy). Considerable emphasis was placed on optimizing and tuning the reaction conditions necessary for the fabrication of methacrylic networks with pendant EGPG terminals. A further investigation was conducted on the effects of monomer composition, different preparation conditions, and radiation processing on thermal properties, microstructure, swelling behavior, and volume phase transition. Special attention was dedicated to PPG<sub>6</sub>EG<sub>3</sub>MA hydrogel, whose volume phase transition temperature is near physiological temperatures. This study identifies an optimal radiation dose and a water/ethanol solvent ratio for the synthesis of the radiation-induced hydrogels. Employing ionizing radiation within the sterilization dose range enables the simultaneous fabrication and sterilization of these hydrogels, offering an efficient production process. The findings provide new insights into the role of bisolvent composition on hydrogel formation and properties, and they present practical guidelines for optimizing hydrogel synthesis across a wide range of applications.https://www.mdpi.com/2310-2861/11/7/488thermoresponsive polymerhydrogelradiation synthesiswater/ethanolEGPG unit |
| spellingShingle | Andjelka Stolic Zorana Rogic Miladinovic Maja Krstic Georgi Stamboliev Vladimir Petrovic Edin Suljovrujic Radiation-Induced Synthesis of Polymer Networks Based on Thermoresponsive Ethylene Glycol Propylene Glycol Monomers Gels thermoresponsive polymer hydrogel radiation synthesis water/ethanol EGPG unit |
| title | Radiation-Induced Synthesis of Polymer Networks Based on Thermoresponsive Ethylene Glycol Propylene Glycol Monomers |
| title_full | Radiation-Induced Synthesis of Polymer Networks Based on Thermoresponsive Ethylene Glycol Propylene Glycol Monomers |
| title_fullStr | Radiation-Induced Synthesis of Polymer Networks Based on Thermoresponsive Ethylene Glycol Propylene Glycol Monomers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Radiation-Induced Synthesis of Polymer Networks Based on Thermoresponsive Ethylene Glycol Propylene Glycol Monomers |
| title_short | Radiation-Induced Synthesis of Polymer Networks Based on Thermoresponsive Ethylene Glycol Propylene Glycol Monomers |
| title_sort | radiation induced synthesis of polymer networks based on thermoresponsive ethylene glycol propylene glycol monomers |
| topic | thermoresponsive polymer hydrogel radiation synthesis water/ethanol EGPG unit |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2310-2861/11/7/488 |
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