Okihara Masaaki, Okuma Kohei, Kawamura Akifumi, Miyata Takashi
Department of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Kansai University, 3-3-35, Yamate-cho, Suita, Osaka 564-8680, Japan.
Organization for Research and Development of Innovative Science and Technology, Kansai University, 3-3-35, Yamate-cho, Suita, Osaka 564-8680, Japan.
Gels. 2022 Mar 16;8(3):183. doi: 10.3390/gels8030183.
Standard hydrogels prepared by free radical polymerization (FRP) have heterogeneous structures with a wide mesh size distribution, which affect their mechanical and separation properties. Recent research has identified four-armed poly(ethylene glycol) (tetra-PEG) as a solution to this problem. tetra-PEG gels with a homogeneous network can be prepared and applied as high-strength gels and cell-culture substrates by reacting two types of tetra-PEG with different reactive groups at the ends. In this study, we report a photoresponsive tetra-PEG that undergoes a phase transition from a sol to a gel state in response to light. tetra-PEGs containing cinnamoyl and maleimide groups at the ends of the four-armed chains were found to gel when exposed to light. The effects of polymer concentration and light irradiation time on the gelation of tetra-PEG containing photodimerization groups were investigated. The results showed that the elastic modulus of the gel increased with the increase in the light irradiation time.
通过自由基聚合（FRP）制备的标准水凝胶具有异质结构，孔径分布广泛，这会影响其机械性能和分离性能。最近的研究发现四臂聚乙二醇（tetra-PEG）是解决这一问题的方法。通过使两种末端具有不同反应性基团的tetra-PEG反应，可以制备具有均匀网络的tetra-PEG凝胶，并将其用作高强度凝胶和细胞培养底物。在本研究中，我们报道了一种光响应性tetra-PEG，它在光照下会发生从溶胶到凝胶状态的相变。发现四臂链末端含有肉桂酰基和马来酰亚胺基团的tetra-PEG在光照下会凝胶化。研究了聚合物浓度和光照时间对含光二聚化基团的tetra-PEG凝胶化的影响。结果表明，凝胶的弹性模量随着光照时间的增加而增加。
