Dendritic macroporous hydrogels prepared by crystal templating
AssigneeBoard of Regents, The University of Texas System
InventorsScott Zawko, Christine E. Schmidt
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Abstract
The present invention includes a hydrogel and a method of making a porous hydrogel by preparing an aqueous mixture of an uncrosslinked polymer and a crystallizable molecule; casting the mixture into a vessel; allowing the cast mixture to dry to form an amorphous hydrogel film; seeding the cast mixture with a seed crystal of the crystallizable molecule; growing the crystallizable molecule into a crystal structure within the uncrosslinked polymer; crosslinking the polymer around the crystal structure under conditions in which the crystal structure within the crosslinked polymer is maintained; and dissolving the crystals within the crosslinked polymer to form the porous hydrogel.
Claims37
A method of making a porous hydrogel comprising:
- preparing an aqueous mixture of an uncrosslinked polymer and a crystallizable molecule;
- casting the mixture into a vessel to form a cast mixture;
- drying the cast mixture to form an amorphous hydrogel film;
- growing the crystallizable molecule into a crystal structure within the uncrosslinked polymer;
- crosslinking the uncrosslinked polymer around the crystal structure under conditions in which the crystal structure within the crosslinked polymer is maintained;
- and
- dissolving the crystal structure within the crosslinked polymer to form the porous hydrogel.
A method comprising:
- growing a crystal structure within a hydrogel that includes an uncrosslinked polymer;
- crosslinking the uncrosslinked polymer around the crystal structure under conditions in which the crystal structure within the crosslinked polymer is maintained;
- and
- dissolving the crystal structure to form a porous hydrogel;
- wherein the uncrosslinked polymer includes a mixture of alginate and hyaluronic acid.
A method of making a porous hydrogel comprising:
- preparing an aqueous mixture of an uncrosslinked polymer and a crystallizable molecule;
- drying the mixture to form a hydrogel film;
- seeding the crystallizable molecule;
- growing the crystallizable molecule into a crystal structure within the uncrosslinked polymer;
- crosslinking the uncrosslinked polymer around the crystal structure under conditions in which the crystal structure within the crosslinked polymer is maintained;
- and
- dissolving the crystal structure within the crosslinked polymer to form the porous hydrogel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.