Aki Deniz, Esmaeili Rad Monireh, Şenel Esat Can, Onceyiz Mesut Celil, Gokmenoglu Melih Can, Duta Liviu, Gunduz Oguzhan
Center for Nanotechnology and Biomaterials Application & Research (NBUAM), Marmara University, Istanbul 34722, Turkey.
Faculty of Technology, Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Marmara University, Istanbul 34722, Turkey.
Biomed Mater. 2025 Jul 9;20(4). doi: 10.1088/1748-605X/ade8c7.
We report on the development of copolymers of 2-hydroxy ethyl acrylate (HEA) with 2-(2-ethoxy ethoxy) ethyl acrylate (EEEA) grafted with ethylene glycol di-methacrylate, designed for use as an intraocular lens (IOL) material. Various HEA/EEEA monomer ratios were synthesized via thermal copolymerization, with the HEA concentration progressively increasing from 3.5% to 28%, while the EEEA concentration decreased proportionately. The physical-chemical, optical, and mechanical properties of the newly developed materials, fabricated as discs (∼3.2 mm thick, 11 mm in diameter) and strips (∼3.2 mm thick, 80 × 15 mm), were comprehensively analyzed. Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy confirmed the successful copolymerization, as characteristic peaks corresponding to the monomers were observed. Since the development of IOL materials hinges on understanding their physical-chemical, optical, and mechanical characteristics-particularly the equilibrium water content (EWC)-our initial focus was on identifying EWC as a key factor in the development of IOLs. The results showed that the EWC value increased with higher HEA concentrations. Contact angle measurements indicated that the polymers exhibited hydrophilic behavior, with values ranging from 68 to 76°. X-ray diffraction analysis demonstrated that the HEA concentration influenced the crystalline structure, which, in turn, affected the mechanical properties. The results indicated that higher HEA concentrations, corresponding to increased EWC values (i.e. ∼8%), led to enhanced flexibility, as evidenced by a decrease in tensile strength from 1.71 to 1.13 MPa, and reduced hardness, which declined from 57.5 to 47.5 Shore A. Additionally, refractive index analyses revealed a gradual decrease with increasing HEA concentrations, ranging from 1.565 to 1.543 when measured at 480 nm and from 1.547 to 1.528 when measured at 660 nm. The evaluation of the coefficient of variation and Pearson's correlation coefficient demonstrated strong material consistency and clear trends across formulations, reinforcing the reliability of the observed properties. These findings emphasize the significance of EWC and the ratio of hydrophilic monomers in acrylic-based copolymers, suggesting that future research could benefit from designing copolymers with tailored physical-chemical, optical, and mechanical properties for IOL applications.
我们报告了接枝乙二醇二甲基丙烯酸酯的丙烯酸2-羟乙酯（HEA）与丙烯酸2-(2-乙氧基乙氧基)乙酯（EEEA）的共聚物的研发情况，该共聚物设计用作人工晶状体（IOL）材料。通过热共聚合成了各种HEA/EEEA单体比例，其中HEA浓度从3.5%逐渐增加到28%，而EEEA浓度相应降低。对制成圆盘（约3.2毫米厚，直径11毫米）和条带（约3.2毫米厚，80×15毫米）的新开发材料进行了物理化学、光学和机械性能的综合分析。傅里叶变换红外光谱证实了共聚成功，因为观察到了与单体相对应的特征峰。由于IOL材料的研发取决于对其物理化学、光学和机械特性的理解，特别是平衡含水量（EWC），我们最初的重点是确定EWC是IOL研发中的关键因素。结果表明，EWC值随着HEA浓度的升高而增加。接触角测量表明，这些聚合物表现出亲水性行为，接触角值在68至76°之间。X射线衍射分析表明，HEA浓度影响晶体结构，进而影响机械性能。结果表明，较高的HEA浓度对应于增加EWC值（即约8%），导致柔韧性增强；拉伸强度从1.71 MPa降至1.13 MPa，硬度降低，邵氏A硬度从57.5降至47.5，证明了这一点。此外，折射率分析表明，随着HEA浓度增加折射率逐渐降低；在480 nm处测量时折射率范围为1.565至1.543, 在660 nm处测量时折射率范围为1.547至1.528。变异系数和皮尔逊相关系数的评估表明，各配方材料具有很强一致性且趋势明显, 强化了所观察特性的可靠性。这些发现强调了EWC以及亲水性单体比例在丙烯酸基共聚物中的重要性，表明未来的研究可以通过设计具有定制物理化学、光学和机械性能的共聚物用于IOL应用而受益。
