Layered porous and non-porous poly(2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate) hydrogels using emulsion templated polymerization

Abstract

Materials merging different properties together into a layered composite are commonly found in nature and are desirable in biomedical applications such as actuation or medical implants. Here, the synthesis of layered 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) hydrogels is reported with porous hydrogels from emulsion templated polymerizations in combination with traditional non-porous hydrogels using a simultaneous polymerization of both layers. The layered materials possess defined interfaces and maintain mechanical properties after 3 swelling and drying cycles with tunable moduli and swelling ratios. The material properties of the layered materials of traditional and emulsion templated hydrogels were controlled by the porosity of the emulsion-templated hydrogels and moduli of each layer. This work presents an approach to easily synthesize poly(HEMA) bilayers with strong interfaces and tunable material properties.