THE USE OF NOVEL CYCLIC MONOMERS IN HYDROGEL SYNTHESIS

A range of hydrogels was prepared by the copolymerisation of 2-hydroxy ethyl methacrylate (HEMA) with various cyclic monomers (CM) derived fr om cis-and trans-1,2-dihydroxycyclohexa-3,5-diene (DHCD). The specific systems investigated were the cis-diacetate, -dimethyl carbonate and -dipivalate, and the trans-diacetate and -dimorpholinocarboxy. It was observed that the cis-derivatives polymerised more readily than the tr ans-derivatives. The poly(HEMA-CM) hydrogels prepared from cis-derivat ives showed superior mechanical properties compared with the correspon ding systems containing styrene or methyl methacrylate.