TY - JOUR
T1 - Thixotropic supramolecular pectin-poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate (PEGMA) hydrogels
AU - Chan, Siew Yin
AU - Choo, Wee Sim
AU - Young, David James
AU - Loh, Xian Jun
PY - 2016/11/18
Y1 - 2016/11/18
N2 - Pectin is an anionic, water-soluble polymer predominantly consisting of covalently 1,4-linked α-D-galacturonic acid units. This naturally occurring, renewable and biodegradable polymer is underutilized in polymer science due to its insolubility in organic solvents, which renders conventional polymerization methods impractical. To circumvent this problem, cerium-initiated radical polymerization was utilized to graft methoxy-poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate (mPEGMA) onto pectin in water. The copolymers were characterized by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and used in the formation of supramolecular hydrogels through the addition of α-cyclodextrin (α-CD) to induce crosslinking. These hydrogels possessed thixotropic properties; shear-thinning to liquid upon agitation but settling into gels at rest. In contrast to most of the other hydrogels produced through the use of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-grafted polymers, the pectin-PEGMA/α-CD hydrogels were unaffected by temperature changes.
AB - Pectin is an anionic, water-soluble polymer predominantly consisting of covalently 1,4-linked α-D-galacturonic acid units. This naturally occurring, renewable and biodegradable polymer is underutilized in polymer science due to its insolubility in organic solvents, which renders conventional polymerization methods impractical. To circumvent this problem, cerium-initiated radical polymerization was utilized to graft methoxy-poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate (mPEGMA) onto pectin in water. The copolymers were characterized by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and used in the formation of supramolecular hydrogels through the addition of α-cyclodextrin (α-CD) to induce crosslinking. These hydrogels possessed thixotropic properties; shear-thinning to liquid upon agitation but settling into gels at rest. In contrast to most of the other hydrogels produced through the use of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-grafted polymers, the pectin-PEGMA/α-CD hydrogels were unaffected by temperature changes.
KW - Cerium
KW - Pectin
KW - Poly(ethylene glycol)methacrylate
KW - Supramolecular hydrogel
KW - α-cyclodextrin
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84999863169&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/polym8110404
DO - 10.3390/polym8110404
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84999863169
VL - 8
JO - Polymers
JF - Polymers
SN - 2073-4360
IS - 11
M1 - 404
ER -