2-Methacryloyloxyethyl N-butylcarbamate: a new co-monomer for synthesis of polyurethane hydrogels with improved mechanical properties for biomedical applications

Hydrogels with tunable hydrophilic and mechanical properties were synthesized by the free radical polymerization of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and 2-methacryloyloxyethyl N-butylcarbamate. The resulting hydrogels were investigated for their equilibrium water content, sessile drop water contact angles, gel fraction, mechanical properties and protein adsorption. Results indicated that co-polymer hydrogels have good hydrophilicity and that, with the incorporation of the 2-methacryloyloxyethyl N-butylcarbamate, mechanical properties could be improved significantly. without affecting other important properties. Lysozyme and albumin adsorption experiments demonstrated that, similar to most hydrogel materials, the co-polymer hydrogels adsorb more lysozyme than albumin and that the adsorption was dependent on hydrophilicity. The control poly(HEMA) hydrogels were found to adsorb more protein than the co-polymer hydrogels; this is thought to be primarily a consequence of protein absorption rather than protein adsorption.