What are UV LED curing formulations of polyacrylamide hydrogels?

In this study, the UV LED curing formulations of polyacrylamide (PAAm) hydrogels were developed. The formulations consisted of acrylamide (AAm) as a main monomer, N, N ’-methylenebisacrylamide as a crosslinker and photoinitiator. UV LED emits monochromatic light sources only (365 nm or 385 nm).

Is a UV LED water based hydrogel curing system a feasible photoinitiator?

As compared to UV mercury lamps, a UV LED has more concentrated energy at its monochromatic wavelength (i.e. 365 nm), which can offer more efficient photopolymerization. In this study, a feasible photoinitiator was synthesised in parallel with the development of a UV LED water based hydrogel curing system.

Is WSPI a good photoinitiator for UV LEDs?

The water soluble photoinitiator (WSPI) was obtained from complexation of 2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenyl acetophenone and methylated-β-cyclodextrin. The results presented in this work suggested that WSPI was an excellent choice of photoinitiator for the UV LED system to achieve hydrogels with high monomer conversion (>90%).

How does a UV LED work?

When a UV LED was used, the energy generated from its light source triggered photopolymerization to directly convert acrylamide and N-isopropylacrylamide monomers to polyacrylamide and poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) hydrogels, respectively. As compared to UV mercury lamps, a UV LED has more concentrated energy