Preparation of Antimicrobial PHEMA-<i>g</i>-PCBMAE Hydrogels with Improved Mechanical Properties

Abstract

A series of poly (hydroxyethyl methacrylate)-g-polycarboxybetaine methacrylate ester (PHEMA-g-PCBMAE) hydrogels were synthesized using reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization in the presence of crosslinker. Then differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to characterize PHEMA-g-PCBMAE hydrogels. The compression stresses of these hydrogels were investigated to evaluate the mechanical properties. The mechanical study suggested that PHEMA-g-PCBMAE hydrogels presented improved mechanical strengths comparing with polycarboxybetaine methacrylate ester (PCBMAE) hydrogel. Besides, the antimicrobial properties of PHEMA-g-PCBMAE hydrogels also estimated by usingStaphylococcus aureusas a model bacterial.