Pegda Prepolymer
Pegda Prepolymer - Related Videos
10:53
Image-guided, Laser-based Fabrication of Vascular-derived Microfluidic Networks
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Cited by 10 •
2017
This protocol outlines the implementation of image-guided, laser-based hydrogel degradation to fabricate vascular-derived, biomimetic microfluidic networks embedded in poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) hydrogels. These biomimetic microfluidic systems may be useful for tissue engineering applications, generation of in vitro disease models, and fabrication of advanced "on-a-chip" devices.
10:18
Fabrication of Inverted Colloidal Crystal Poly(ethylene glycol) Scaffold: A Three-dimensional Cell Culture Platform for Liver Tissue Engineering
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Cited by 14 •
2016
This manuscript presents a detailed protocol for the fabrication of an emerging three-dimensional hepatocyte culture platform, the inverted colloidal crystal scaffold, and the concomitant techniques to assess hepatocyte behavior. The size-controllable pores, interconnectivity and ability to conjugate extracellular matrix proteins to the poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) scaffold enhance Huh-7.5 cell performance.
09:09
Synthesis of Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) Janus Microhydrogels for Anisotropic Thermo-responsiveness and Organophilic/Hydrophilic Loading Capability
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Cited by 3 •
2016
We present a protocol to synthesize Janus microhydrogels composed entirely of the same base material, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm), with a clearly compartmentalized structure base on the phase separation of a supersaturated NIPAAm monomer solution. The synthesized Janus microhydrogels show unique properties such as anisotropic thermo-responsiveness and organophilic/hydrophilic loading capability.
09:06
Expanding Nanopatterned Substrates Using Stitch Technique for Nanotopographical Modulation of Cell Behavior
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Cited by 4 •
2016
A protocol for producing a large area of nanopatterned substrate from small nanopatterned molds for study of nanotopographical modulation of cell behavior is presented.
07:53
Soft Lithography
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2023
Many BioMEM devices, such as microfluidic channels, are fabricated using the soft lithography technique. Here, a microscale pattern is replicated by curing an elastomeric polymer over the 3D structure. These polymeric structures are then used to create a wide range of devices, ranging from microfluidic channels for biosensing applications to microscale bioreactors for the visualization of micro-colonies. This video introduces photolithography and demonstrates the technique in the laboratory.
FAQs
Light activates the photoinitiator, which enables free-radical reactions at PEGDA’s acrylate end groups. Those end groups connect neighboring PEGDA molecules, converting the starting liquid into a crosslinked network rather than simply changing its shape. The resulting structure retains substantial water, so photopolymerization creates a hydrogel environment relevant to cell culture and other bioengineering studies.
Formulation and processing conditions determine how PEGDA molecules become connected and therefore influence the hydrogel’s stiffness, swelling, and degradation behavior. These properties are coupled: changing the way the network is formed can alter both its mechanical response and its interaction with water over time. Controlling them lets researchers tailor the material to different biomaterials experiments.
Crosslinking gives the material a stable three-dimensional network that can retain water while providing adjustable mechanical behavior. This combination distinguishes the cured hydrogel from the initial liquid prepolymer and makes the material useful where cells or biological structures need a defined, hydrated environment. In bioengineering, network properties can therefore be matched to the intended experimental setting.
Preparing a PEGDA hydrogel generally requires combining the prepolymer with a photoinitiator and then exposing the formulation to light. During exposure, the acrylate groups polymerize and link the molecules into the desired network. Researchers can then use formulation and processing conditions to adjust the resulting stiffness, swelling, and degradation behavior for the planned biomaterials application.
PEGDA hydrogels support several bioengineering uses because they provide water-rich, crosslinked environments with tunable properties. In tissue engineering and three-dimensional cell culture, they can serve as controlled material environments for cells. The same platform also extends to drug delivery and bioprinting, where adjustable network behavior helps construct or study engineered biological structures.
Key outcomes include the hydrogel’s stiffness, swelling, and degradation behavior after processing. Together, these properties describe how the network responds mechanically, interacts with water, and changes over time. Evaluating this combination helps researchers determine whether a PEGDA formulation provides the controlled environment needed for a particular tissue-engineering, cell-culture, drug-delivery, or bioprinting study.