(338i) Sonication Labile Peg Based Polymer Hydrogels

In the growing field of polymers, the development of materials that are responsive to external stimuli has gained momentum, especially with the interest in enabling transitions of mechanical or chemical properties to allow a single polymer to be used where previously multiple may have been required. This work uses phthalaldehyde functionalized polyethylene glycol (PEG) macromers, crosslinked through an alkene to synthesize hydrogels that respond to mechanical triggers. The phthalaldehyde mechanophore linkage has been shown to be sonication labile when incorporated into a polymer backbone. This work characterizes the mechanical properties of crosslinked PEG-phthalaldehyde hydrogels as sonication is applied, illustrating the degradation profile of these hydrogels and degradation into water soluble components. The use of mechanical triggers, such as sonication or ultrasound, was leveraged to degrade polymers in optically dense or thermally sensitive environments while maintaining the spatial – temporal control characteristic of photo triggered degradation.