Hydrophilic gel materials and methods of making

A method of making an article comprising a substrate and a hydrophilic gel material adhered thereto, the method comprising:

• providing a precursor composition comprising:
• (a) at least 5 weight percent polar solvent based on a total weight of the precursor composition;
• and
• (b) polymerizable material capable of free-radical polymerization and having an average number of ethylenically unsaturated groups per molecule greater than 1.0, wherein the polymerizable material is miscible with the polar solvent;
• providing a mold having a substrate in contact therewith in a manner to form at least two separate wells;
• adding the precursor composition to the mold, the precursor composition being positioned in at least a portion of at least two separate wells;
• and
• exposing the precursor composition within the wells to radiation to at least partially polymerize the polymerizable material and to form a first swollen shaped hydrophilic gel material adhered to the substrate.

A method of making an article comprising a substrate and a hydrophilic gel material adhered thereto, the method comprising:

• providing a precursor composition comprising:
• (a) at least 5 weight percent polar solvent based on a total weight of the precursor composition;
• and
• (b) polymerizable material capable of free-radical polymerization and having an average number of ethylenically unsaturated groups per molecule greater than 1.0, wherein the polymerizable material is miscible with the polar solvent;
• coating the precursor composition on at least a portion of at least one surface of a substrate;
• and
• exposing the precursor composition to radiation to at least partially polymerize the polymerizable material to provide a coating of first swollen hydrophilic gel material adhered to the substrate.