(180d) Influence of Hydrophilic Polymer On Pamps/PAM Double Network Hydrogels

Double Network hydrogels (DN-gels), which are constitute of rigid polyelectrolyte poly(2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid) (PAMPS) as the first network and poly(acrylamide) (PAM) as the second network, own low surface friction and excellent mechanical properties under approaching that of artificial articular cartilage. The first network acts as the skeleton supporting the DN gels and plays the leading role enhancing the mechanical properties of DN gels. Different kinds of hydrophilic polymer, such as polyethylene oxide (PEO), poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) were added into the first network in order to modify the configuration of DN gel’s skeleton. The modified DN gels were measured by compression and tensile tests. Synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were applied to investigate the modified single network gels.  Results showed that, the mechanical properties of DN gels were enhanced by adding modifier like PEO and PVA. And the skeleton of SN gels were reinforced through physical tangles of polymer chains.