Enhanced water sorption of a semi-interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) of poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)

An attempt was made to enhance the water-sorption capacity of polymers of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) by preparing its semi-interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) with a hydrophilic polymer such as poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). The effects of various factors, such as history of the polymer sample, chemical architecture of the IPN, presence of salt ions in the swelling medium, and temperature of the swelling medium, were investigated on the water sorption kinetics of the IPNs. The IPN was characterized by IR spectral analysis and various structural parameters, such as molecular weight between crosslinks (M-c), crosslink density (q) and number of elastically effective chains (V-e), were evaluated. The IPNs were also assessed for their antithrombogenic potential.