SMALL ANGLE X-RAY SCATTERING OF POLY(ETHYLENE GLYCOL) BASED HYDROGEL NETWORKS

这个子项目是利用资源的许多研究子项目之一。 由NIH/NCRR资助的中心拨款提供。对子项目的主要支持 子项目的首席调查员可能是由其他来源提供的， 包括美国国立卫生研究院的其他来源。为子项目列出的总成本可能 表示该子项目使用的中心基础设施的估计数量， 不是由NCRR赠款提供给次级项目或次级项目工作人员的直接资金。 水凝胶具有非常适合生物材料应用的特性。它们具有生物相容性、非免疫原性、亲水性、多孔性，并且可以经常调整以实现所需的功能，如药物释放。然而，水凝胶的机械性能往往限制了其作为天然组织替代材料的应用。为了解决机械性能薄弱的问题，我们的研究小组开发了一种互穿聚合物网络(IPN)，该网络由紧密交联的中性聚乙二醇(PEG)作为第一网络，松散交联的离子聚合物聚丙烯酸(PAA)作为第二网络。我们之前的SAXS测量主要集中在单个聚乙二醇胺和聚丙烯酸酯网络结构以及高强度互穿网络上。在目前的提案中，我们希望探索将疏水性生物分子如胆固醇和表面活性分子引入网络结构以增强与生物系统的整合的结构效应。此外，我们还想进一步探索工艺条件对水凝胶结构的影响，如用于水凝胶制备的溶剂。拟议的SAXS测量将有助于理解对我们的水凝胶网络的化学和加工修改如何改变材料的分子水平形态。这项工作是必要的，以增加我们的水凝胶系统的可调性，以增强设计和能力。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. Primary support for the subproject and the subproject's principal investigator may have been provided by other sources, including other NIH sources. The Total Cost listed for the subproject likely represents the estimated amount of Center infrastructure utilized by the subproject, not direct funding provided by the NCRR grant to the subproject or subproject staff. Hydrogels possess properties that make them extremely suitable for biomaterial applications. They are biocompatible, non-immunogenic, hydrophilic, porous, and can frequently be tuned for a desired function such as drug release. However, the mechanical weakness of the hydrogels often limits their application as replacement materials for natural tissues. To address issues of mechanical weakness, our research group has developed an interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) composed of tightly crosslinked, neutral poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) as the first network and loosely crosslinked poly(acrylic acid) (PAA), an ionic polymer, as the second network. Our previous SAXS measurements have focused on the structure of individual PEG and PAA networks as well as the high strength IPNs. In the current proposal, we would like to explore the structural effects of incorporating hydrophobic biomolecules such as cholesterol as well as surfactant molecules into the network structure to enhance integration with biological systems. Additionally, we would like to further explore the effects of processing conditions on the hydrogel structure such as the solvent used for hydrogel preparation. The proposed SAXS measurements will aid in understanding how chemical and processing modifications to our hydrogel networks change the molecular level morphology of the materials. This work is necessary for in order to add tunability to our hydrogel system for enhanced design and capabilities.