Synthesis and properties of siloxane-containing hybrid hydrogels: optical transmittance, oxygen permeability and equilibrium water content.
Siloxane-containing hybrid hydrogels, coupled with optical transparency and moderate water content, have the advantage of a high oxygen permeability which gives rise to useful characteristics for extended wear contact lenses. To synthesize these hybrid hydrogels, free radical copolymerization of hydrophobic TRIS monomer/PDMS macromer with a hydrophilic monomer in a confined mold was studied. It proved that microphase separation of the resulting hybrid hydrogels, caused by inherent incompatibility between hydrophobic and hydrophilic monomers, could be controlled by either the hydrophobic/hydrophilic balance or molecular weight of PDMS macromer in the formulations, resulting in high optical transmittance (> 90%) at 400 nm. The oxygen permeability of the hybrid hydrogels at optimized formulations was also obtained as high as 83 barrers.
Department of Chemical Engineering, Daegu University, Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk 712-714, Korea.
Minhyeon
M
Song
Young Hwan
YH
Shin
Younghwan
Y
Kwon
D003262:Contact Lenses, Extended-Wear; D004129:Dimethylpolysiloxanes / Q000737:chemistry*; D020100:Hydrogels / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D008970:Molecular Weight; D009757:Nylons / Q000737:chemistry*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000737:chemistry*; D010539:Permeability; D012821:Silanes / Q000737:chemistry*; D013057:Spectrum Analysis; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*
D004129:Dimethylpolysiloxanes; D020100:Hydrogels; D009757:Nylons; D012821:Silanes; C085707:poly(dimethylsiloxane)-polyamide copolymer; D014867:Water; D010100:Oxygen