Section 2 Polymer Gels Crosslink Formations

Chapter 1 Section 2 Polymer Gels Crosslink Formations... 

In physically crosshnked gels, dissolution of the pol3nner network is prevented by physical interactions that exist between the polymer chains. Physical crosslinking can be estabhshed by, for instance, ionic, hydrophobic, or coiled-coil interactions (15). A novel physical method by which to create hydrogel is the use of stereocomplex formation. This method has been recently investigated by us and others (42—46). In this section, the residts obtained with these gels based on dex are summarized. 

Polymerization of monomer II in the presence of polymer I definitely leads to increases in molecular weight, increased viscosity, and often true gel formation. This latter is actually a form of joined IPN or AB crosslinked copolymer. Using the cellular model of phase separation, we may predict that gelation, if it occurs, will be most extensive near the cell wall. In Section 3.1.1.3, we concluded that polymer II was unable to pass easily through polymer I even in the highly swollen state, because of polymer incompatibility. Obviously, this transport difficulty is augmented by a surrounding gel network. 

---