Covalent tethering of photo-responsive superficial layers on hydrogel surfaces for photo-controlled release.

ABSTRACT: The diffusion and transport of substances between a hydrogel and its environment have received tremendous research interest, due to the wide range of applications of hydrogel materials in fields related to drug carriers and drug delivery vehicles. To date, much research has been done to tailor the diffusion and transport of substances through hydrogels, where most efforts were focused on tuning the 3D network properties of the hydrogel including loop size, hydrophobicity of building blocks and the stimuli-responsive properties of backbones. These conventional strategies, however, usually suffer from complicated fabrication procedures and result in a homogeneous increase in hydrophobicity of the hydrogel network, leading to low efficiency control over the diffusion of substances through the

SUBMITTER: Chen L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5398270 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature