Preparation of Composite Hydrogels with Silica Nanoparticles by Photoinitiated Polymerization Reaction

In this study, (3-mercaptopropyl) trimethoxysilane (MPTMS) modified silica nanoparticles (SiO2-MPTMS) were successfully prepared. The average size of SiO2-MPTMS was measured by Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) as 341 nm in ethanol, while Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM) analyzes confirmed that the nano-sized and revealed their shapes spherical. Then, 3D nanocomposite hydrogels prepared incorporating various ratios (0.25, 0.50, 0.75 1.0 wt %) into an acrylate resin consisting N-isopropyl acrylamide (NIPAM) polyethylene glychol diacrylate (PEGDA; a crosslinker) photoinitiated polymerization reaction with Dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone (DMPA; photoinitiator). By Thermal Gravimetric Analyzer (TGA) measurements, it determined maintained thermal stability up to 330 0C degradation steps close each other. (SEM) study showed neat hydrogels’ morphological structures porous smooth scaffold, also (0.50 homogeneously distributed network hydrogels, localized bonds.