Table 2.
The effect of molecular weight (Mn) and concentration ([PEG]) of the precursors on water content (% water), average molecular weight between crosslinks (Mc) and mesh size (ξ) of PEG hydrogels. Hydrogels were fabricated and analyzed for structural properties, using the Peppas–Merrill model as described previously [36-38]. Data are mean ± SEM.
| PEG type | PEG Mn | % PEG | % Water | Mc [g/mol] | ξ [nm] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PEG508 | 508 | 10 | 87.5 ± 0.2 | 167 ± 3 | 1.70 ± 0.03 |
| PEG508 | 508 | 20 | 75.9 ± 0.1 | 107 ± 1 | 1.09 ± 0.01 |
| PEG508 | 508 | 30 | 65.0 ± 0.2 | 72 ± 1 | 0.79 ± 0.01 |
| PEG508 | 508 | 40 | 55.1 ± 0.1 | 50 ± 1 | 0.61 ± 0.01 |
| PEG3.4k | 3400 | 10 | 91.0 ± 0.2 | 701 ± 22 | 3.87 ± 0.09 |
| PEG3.4k | 3400 | 20 | 85.4 ± 0.4 | 539 ± 27 | 2.90 ± 0.10 |
| PEG3.4k | 3400 | 30 | 82.1 ± 0.3 | 503 ± 14 | 2.61 ± 0.05 |
| PEG3.4k | 3400 | 40 | 83.0 ± 0.2 | 661 ± 11 | 3.05 ± 0.04 |
| PEG6k | 6000 | 10 | 93.1 ± 0.1 | 1313 ± 10 | 5.81 ± 0.03 |
| PEG6k | 6000 | 20 | 89.1 ± 0.1 | 1056 ± 13 | 4.47 ± 0.04 |
| PEG6k | 6000 | 30 | 86.1 ± 0.1 | 931 ± 6 | 3.87 ± 0.02 |
| PEG10k | 10,000 | 10 | 96.8 ± 0.1 | 3556 ± 49 | 12.37 ± 0.18 |
| PEG10k | 10,000 | 20 | 94.5 ± 0.1 | 2986 ± 45 | 9.45 ± 0.13 |
| PEG10k | 10,000 | 30 | 93.1 ± 0.1 | 2809 ± 26 | 8.48 ± 0.07 |