In Situ forming poly(ethylene glycol)-based hydrogels via metal-free thiol-maleimide click chemistry

摘要

The incorporation of cells and sensitive compounds can be better facilitated without the presence of UV or other energy sources common in the formation of biomedical hydrogels. In situ forming poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) based hydrogels were developed by the step-growth polymerization of maleimide- and thiol-terminated PEG macromers via metal-free Michael addition (Fig. 1).