Crosslinking behaviors and mechanical properties of curable PDMS and PEG films with various contents of glycidyl methacrylate

Abstract

The real-time curing behaviors and surface mechanical properties of two curable systems, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) films containing different portions of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA), were investigated via various measurements for potential application as anti-fouling coatings. In these mixtures, methacryloxypropyl-terminated PDMS and poly(ethylene glycol)dimethacrylate were used as the difunctional crosslinkers, and GMA was employed as the epoxy component. During the coating process, UV irradiation generated network structures for both mixtures (PDMS-GMA and PEG-GMA), while they exhibited the different evolution of the elastic modulus with respect to the GMA content. It was found that a small portion of the crosslinkers formed at early stage has a dominant contribution to the overall film properties, leading to a small swelling ratio and large gel fraction. The indentation and scratch mechanical properties of the cured films were qualitatively well linked with the real-time rheological data for the curable mixtures acquired during the curing process.

Crosslinking Dynamics and Gelation Characteristics of Photo- and Thermally Polymerized Poly(Ethylene Glycol) Hydrogels

“…In addition, Browning et al [19] enhanced the crosslinked network by adding a four-arm PEG acrylate crosslinker to linear PEGDA hydrogels of different molecular weights. Although it is well known that the degree of crosslinking can be altered by the formulation of a hydrogel, few studies have attempted to control the hydrogel network through changes in the crosslinking process [20].…”

Effect of Silica Nanoparticles Blocked with Epoxy Groups on the Crosslinking and Surface Properties of PEG Hydrogel Films

“…Poly(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate (PEGDMA, Mw = 550 g/mol) and glycidyl methacrylate (GMA, Mw = 142.15 g/mol) were used as a crosslinker and a monomer, respectively. Based on previous studies [16], the molar ratio for PEGDMA and GMA was fixed at 70:30 mol% (PEG-GMA30) in this study, to exclusively emphasize the role of epoxy groups in G-SiNPs. For the radical polymerization process performed via UV irradiation, 2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone (DMPA) was slightly inserted into the hydrogel mixtures (approximately 1 wt% based on the total weights of PEGDMA and GMA) To verify the formation of the G-SiNPs, the chemical changes at the surfaces of the Si-NPs and G-SiNPs were monitored via the attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FT-IR, Agilent Technology, Santa Clara, CA, USA) in transmittance mode.…”

“…Furthermore, an epoxy unit on the film surface can be changed into hydrophobic or hydrophilic brushes in amphiphilic coating fields [ 15 ]. Kim et al [ 16 ] investigated the effect of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) with an epoxy group on the chemo-rheological behaviors of PEG-based hydrogel mixtures. It was observed that a proper portion of GMA contributed to the formation of densely crosslinked networks in PEG hydrogel films, exhibiting enhanced rheological and mechanical properties.…”

“…Based on Kim et al [ 16 ], this study attempted to improve the epoxy functionality on the surface of PEG hydrogel films using a small amount of Si-NPs blocked with GPTS as a coupling agent (G-SiNPs). Modified Si-NPs play a key role in exposing the epoxy groups on the film surface to provide the required surface mechanical properties and amphiphilic surface functionality of the hydrogel films.…”

Polymers for dye transfer inhibition in laundry applications

“…Amphiphilic block copolymers may be exploited to prevent dye transfer to the fabric surface in a manner analogous to anti-fouling systems used for marine paints. [31][32][33] The hydrophobic component of the block copolymer may be designed to adhere to the fabric surface through intermolecular interactions, while the hydrophilic block favors water interaction, forming a hydration layer between the fabric surface and the aqueous environment. This hydration layer may prevent molecular adhesion to the fiber surface.…”