Silsesquioxane functionalized with methacrylate and amine groups as a crosslinker/co-initiator for the synthesis of hydrogels by visible-light photopolymerization

MARÍA L. GÓMEZ, DIANA P. FASCE, ROBERTO J.J. WILLIAMS A(*), ROSA ERRA-BALSELLS, M. KANIZ FATEMA, HIROSHI NONAMI

POLYMER

Elsevier

Año: 2008 vol. 49 p. 3648 - 3653

0032-3861

A silsesquioxane bearing methacrylate and amine groups was synthesized by capping half of the NH groups of N-3-(trimethoxysilyl)-propylethylene diamine with glycidyl methacrylate, followed by the hydrolytic condensation of methoxysilane groups. This led to a silsesquioxane functionalized with methacrylate and amine groups (SFMA) that was characterized by UV-MALDI TOF MS. A formulation containing safranine-O as initiator and SFMA as co-initiator (electron donor)/crosslinker was used for the visible-light photopolymerization of water solutions of 2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate (HEMA) and acrylamide (AAm). Without SFMA addition no reaction was observed while in the presence of 0.8 wt % SFMA with respect to monomers, crosslinked polymers (hydrogels) were obtained. Swelling of the resulting hydrogels in a broad pH range was investigated.