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Interpenetrating polymer networks templated on bicontinuous microemulsions containing silicone oil, methacrylic acid, and hydroxyethyl methacrylate

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Abstract

Polydimethylsiloxane-poly(methacrylic acid—hydroxyethyl methacrylate) interpenetrating polymer networks (PDMS-P(MAA–HEMA) IPN) were formulated and polymerized simultaneously from bicontinuous microemulsion templates. Microemulsions containing reactive silicone oils and MAA/HEMA in aqueous solution were stabilized with silicone surfactants, and were then reacted at 50 °C for 3 h under an N2 atmosphere. The formation of bicontinuous morphology was confirmed by laser scanning confocal microscopy, reversible swelling behavior, differential scanning calorimetry, texture analysis, and permeability to vitamin B12 in aqueous solution. Incorporating polymerizable surfactants into the microemulsion aided in stabilizing the initial microemulsion structure during polymerization, yielding a more uniform IPN morphology with domain sizes of <200 nm at equilibrium swelling. The process developed here demonstrates a simple, single-step polymerization approach to forming IPNs from low viscosity microemulsion templates, and could potentially be extended to a variety of hydrophilic and hydrophobic monomers.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Siltech Corp. and Rick Vrckovnik for providing the silicone alkyl polyether and silicone acrylate surfactants and supporting technical literature used in this work. The authors thank Silvia Zarate and Oliver Chung for their technical assistance with the FTIR and SAXS characterization. This work was supported by the National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the 20/20 NSERC Ophthalmic Materials Network.

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  1. Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, 200 College St., Toronto, ON, Canada, M5S 3E5

    Victor Castellino, Edgar Acosta & Yu-Ling Cheng

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  1. Victor Castellino
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  2. Edgar Acosta
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  3. Yu-Ling Cheng
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Correspondence to Edgar Acosta.

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Castellino, V., Acosta, E. & Cheng, YL. Interpenetrating polymer networks templated on bicontinuous microemulsions containing silicone oil, methacrylic acid, and hydroxyethyl methacrylate. Colloid Polym Sci 291, 527–539 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00396-012-2741-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00396-012-2741-8

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