FIG. 2.

A typical plot of mass loss versus degradation time for a crosslinked hydrogel. A characteristic feature of the degradation profile is the point where there are fewer than two crosslinks per polymer chain and the highly branched polymer chains dissolve. This point is referred to as reverse gelation. A number of factors influence the degradation rate and profile, including the chemistry, as well as the number of degradable linkages present in the hydrogel and the crosslinking density of the hydrogel.