Binary phase solid-state photopolymerization behavior of acrylate cryogels under different light sources

Two types of cryogels were obtained using 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA) and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) by homogeneous mixing with poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) as crosslinker at subzero temperature followed by photopolymerization with two different light initiation sources (high-pressure Hg arc lamp and UV-LED).The solution was frozen unidirectionally at −60 °C before polymerization and finally photopolymerized at the same temperature. The cryogels were characterized using photo-DSC, UV–vis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy techniques. The cryogels cured with an LED light showed a higher polymerization rate and better morphological characteristics than ones cured with a high-pressure Hg arc. The water intake ratio of HEA/PEGDA was higher than HEMA/PEGDA for both curing sources. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135 , 46686.