title: Synthesis of porous PEG microgels using CaCO3 microspheres as hard templates.
abstract: Porous poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) microgels of both 17.6 and 8.3 μm in diameter are synthesized via hard templating with calcium carbonate (CaCO(3)) microparticles. The synthesis is performed in three steps: loading of PEG macromonomers into CaCO(3) microparticles, crosslinking via photopolymerization, and removal of the CaCO(3) template under acidic conditions. The resulting porous PEG microgels are inverse replicates of their templates as indicated by light microscopy, cryo-scanning electron microscopy (cryo-SEM), and permeability studies. Thus this process allows for the straightforward and highly reproducible synthesis of porous hydrogel particles of two different diameters and porosities that show great potential as carriers for drugs or nanomaterials.
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany.
authors.forename: Muriel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Behra
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hartmann
authors.forename: Dmitry V
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Volodkin
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hartmann
mesh_terms: D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry; D002119:Calcium Carbonate / Q000737:chemistry*; D020285:Cryoelectron Microscopy; D020100:Hydrogels; D008863:Microspheres; D010316:Particle Size; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000737:chemistry*; D016062:Porosity
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D020100:Hydrogels; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D002119:Calcium Carbonate