Amphiphilic Thermoset Elastomers from Metal-Free, Click Crosslinking of PEG-Grafted Silicone Surfactants

作者：Rambarran Talena; Gonzaga Ferdinand; Brook Michael A^*; Lasowski Frances; Sheardown Heather

来源：Journal of Polymer Science Part A: Polymer Chemistry , 2015, 53(9): 1082-1093.

DOI：10.1002/pola.27539

• amphiphilic
• click chemistry
• poly(ethylene glycol)
• polymers
• silicone
• surface chemistry
• thermoset elastomers

The hydrophobicity of silicone elastomers can compromise their utility in some biomaterials applications. Few effective processes exist to introduce hydrophilic groups onto a polysiloxane backbone and subsequently crosslink the material into elastomers. This problem can be overcome through the utilization of metal-free click reactions between azidoalkylsilicones and alkynyl-modified silicones and/or PEGs to both functionalize and crosslink silicone elastomers. Alkynyl-functional PEG was clicked onto a fraction of the available azido groups of a functional polysiloxane, yielding azido reactive PDMS-g-PEG rake surfactants. The reactive polymers were then used to crosslink alkynyl-terminated PDMS of different molecular weights. Using simple starting materials, this generic yet versatile method permits the preparation and characterization of a library of amphiphilic thermoset elastomers that vary in their composition, crosslink density, elasticity, hydrogel formation, and wettability. An appropriate balance of PEG length and crosslink density leads to a permanently highly wettable silicone elastomer that demonstrated very low levels of protein adsorption.

• 出版日期2015-5-1