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PLA–PEO–PLA Hydrogels and Their Mechanical Properties

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Abstract

Poly(lactide) – block – poly(ethylene oxide) – block – poly(lactide) [PLA–PEO–PLA] triblock copolymers are known to form physical hydrogels in water, due to the polymer’s amphiphilic architecture. Their biodegradability has made them attractive for use as soft tissue scaffolds and other biological applications such as drug delivery. In many cases, their mechanical properties have been poorly investigated and “rules” for tuning their stiffness are missing. Often the network junction points are only physical cross-links, not covalent, and in a highly aqueous environment, these hydrogels will absorb more water, transform from gel to sol, and lose the designed mechanical properties. New insights into the self-assembly of these materials have resulted in new PLA–PEO–PLA gels with novel structural and mechanical properties. Here, we summarize our recent efforts to understand these novel hydrogels and control their mechanical properties. This is highlighted by a new approach in which the system is allowed to self-assemble and then it is covalently cross-linked to capture this self-assembled architecture. This produces hydrogels with permanent cross-links and allows their mechanical properties to be studied in much more detail.

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Acknowledgments

Data appearing in this review was supported by the central facilities of the NSF-funded Center for Hierarchical Manufacturing (CMMI-0531171 and CMMI-1025020) and the NSF-funded MRSEC on Polymers (DMR-0213695). We thank a number of agencies and companies for their support of the years including ARO, ONR, NSF, 3 M, and DuPont.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA

    Gregory N. Tew

  2. Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA

    Surita R. Bhatia

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  1. Gregory N. Tew
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  2. Surita R. Bhatia
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Correspondence to Gregory N. Tew or Surita R. Bhatia .

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  1. , School of Engineering and Applied Scienc, Harvard University, Oxford Street 29, Cambridge, 02138, Massachusetts, USA

    Sujata K. Bhatia

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Tew, G.N., Bhatia, S.R. (2012). PLA–PEO–PLA Hydrogels and Their Mechanical Properties. In: Bhatia, S. (eds) Engineering Biomaterials for Regenerative Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1080-5_5

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