Hydrophilic gel materials and methods of making

Abstract

The present disclosure describes articles, such as medical articles, containing a substrate having disposed thereon a hydrophilic gel material (e.g., a shaped hydrophilic gel material or a coating of a hydrophilic gel material) and methods for making such articles. Methods are provided for making hydrophilic gel materials from a precursor composition that contains a polar solvent and a polymerizable material that is miscible with the polar solvent.

1 . A method of making an article comprising a substrate and a hydrophilic gel material adhered thereto, the method comprising:
 providing a precursor composition comprising:
 (a) at least 10 weight percent polar solvent based on a total weight of the precursor composition; and 
 (b) polymerizable material capable of free-radical polymerization and having an average number of ethylenically unsaturated groups per molecule equal to at least 1.2, wherein the polymerizable material is miscible with the polar solvent; 
   providing a mold having at least two separate wells;   adding the precursor composition to the mold, the precursor composition being positioned in at least a portion of at least two separate wells;   providing a substrate and positioning the substrate to at least partially contact the precursor composition; and   exposing the precursor composition within the wells to radiation to at least partially polymerize the polymerizable material and to form a first swollen shaped hydrophilic gel material adhered to the substrate.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the polar solvent comprises water; and the precursor composition comprises no greater than 90 weight percent polymerizable material based on the total weight of the precursor composition, wherein the polymerizable material comprises a poly(alkylene oxide (meth)acrylate) having at least 2 (meth)acryloyl groups and having at least 5 alkylene oxide units. 
     
     
         3 . A method of making an article comprising a substrate and a hydrophilic gel material adhered thereto, the method comprising:
 providing a precursor composition comprising:
 (a) at least 5 weight percent polar solvent based on a total weight of the precursor composition; and 
 (b) polymerizable material capable of free-radical polymerization and having an average number of ethylenically unsaturated groups per molecule greater than 1.0, wherein the polymerizable material is miscible with the polar solvent; 
   providing a mold having a substrate in contact therewith in a manner to form at least two separate wells;   adding the precursor composition to the mold, the precursor composition being positioned in at least a portion of at least two separate wells; and   exposing the precursor composition within the wells to radiation to at least partially polymerize the polymerizable material and to form a first swollen shaped hydrophilic gel material adhered to the substrate.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the precursor composition comprises:
 (a) at least 10 weight percent polar solvent based on the total weight of the precursor composition, wherein the polar solvent comprises water; and   (b) no greater than 90 weight percent polymerizable material based on the total weight of the precursor composition, the polymerizable material being capable of free-radical polymerization and having an average number of ethylenically unsaturated groups per molecule equal to at least 1.2, wherein the polymerizable material comprises a poly(alkylene oxide (meth)acrylate) having at least 2 (meth)acryloyl groups and having at least 5 alkylene oxide units.   
     
     
         5 . A method of making an article comprising a substrate and a hydrophilic gel material adhered thereto, the method comprising:
 providing a precursor composition comprising:
 (a) at least 5 weight percent polar solvent based on a total weight of the precursor composition; and 
 (b) polymerizable material capable of free-radical polymerization and having an average number of ethylenically unsaturated groups per molecule greater than 1.0, wherein the polymerizable material is miscible with the polar solvent; 
   coating the precursor composition on at least a portion of at least one surface of a substrate; and   exposing the precursor composition to radiation to at least partially polymerize the polymerizable material to provide a coating of first swollen hydrophilic gel material adhered to the substrate.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the precursor composition comprises:
 (a) greater than 10 weight percent polar solvent based on a total weight of the precursor composition; and   (b) polymerizable material capable of free-radical polymerization and having an average number of ethylenically unsaturated groups per molecule equal to at least 1.2.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the precursor composition comprises:
 (a) at least 10 weight percent polar solvent based on the total weight of the precursor composition, wherein the polar solvent comprises water; and   (b) no greater than 90 weight percent polymerizable material based on the total weight of the precursor composition, the polymerizable material being capable of free-radical polymerization and having an average number of ethylenically unsaturated groups per molecule equal to at least 1.2, wherein the polymerizable material comprises a poly(alkylene oxide (meth)acrylate) having at least 2 (meth)acryloyl groups and having at least 5 alkylene oxide units.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the precursor composition comprises:
 (a) at least 10 weight percent polar solvent based on the total weight of the precursor composition; and   (b) no greater than 90 weight percent polymerizable material based on the total weight of the precursor composition, the polymerizable material being capable of free-radical polymerization and having an average number of ethylenically unsaturated groups per molecule equal to at least 1.2, wherein the polymerizable material forms a single phase with the polar solvent and comprises a poly(alkylene oxide (meth)acrylate) having at least 2 (meth)acryloyl groups and having at least 5 alkylene oxide units and the poly(alkylene oxide (meth)acrylate) having a weight average molecular weight less than 2,000 g/mole.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the precursor composition comprises:
 (a) greater than 10 weight percent polar solvent based on a total weight of the precursor composition; and   (b) less than 90 weight percent polymerizable material based on the total weight of the precursor composition, the polymerizable material being capable of free-radical polymerization and having an average number of ethylenically unsaturated groups per molecule equal to at least 1.2, the polymerizable material being miscible in the polar solvent and comprising:
 i) a poly(alkylene oxide (meth)acrylate) having at least 2 (meth)acryloyl functional groups and having at least 5 alkylene oxide units; and 
 ii) 0 to less than 20 weight percent anionic monomer based on a total weight of polymerizable material in the precursor composition, wherein the anionic monomer comprises an ethylenically unsaturated group in addition to an acidic group, a salt of the acidic group, or a mixture thereof. 
   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein:
 coating the precursor composition comprises using a non-contact deposition technique; and   exposing the precursor composition to radiation to at least partially polymerize the polymerizable material to provide a coating of first swollen hydrophilic gel material on a substrate comprises forming a discontinuous coating of first swollen hydrophilic gel material on at least a portion of at least one surface of a substrate.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the non-contact deposition comprises inkjet printing. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the non-contact deposition comprises spray atomization deposition. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the precursor composition further comprises an active agent. 
     
     
         14 - 15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . An article comprising a substrate having a shaped hydrophilic gel material adhered thereto, wherein the shaped hydrophilic gel material is prepared from a precursor composition that is at least partially polymerized and shaped in a mold having at least two separate wells when in contact with the substrate, wherein the precursor composition comprises:
 (a) at least 10 weight percent polar solvent based on the total weight of the precursor composition, wherein the polar solvent comprises water; and   (b) no greater than 90 weight percent polymerizable material based on the total weight of the precursor composition, the polymerizable material being capable of free-radical polymerization and having an average number of ethylenically unsaturated groups per molecule equal to at least 1.2, wherein the polymerizable material forms a single phase with the polar solvent and comprises a poly(alkylene oxide (meth)acrylate) having at least 2 (meth)acryloyl groups and having at least 5 alkylene oxide units.   
     
     
         17 . An article comprising a substrate having a shaped hydrophilic gel material adhered thereto, wherein the shaped hydrophilic gel material is prepared from a precursor composition that is at least partially polymerized and shaped in a mold having at least two separate wells when in contact with the substrate, wherein the precursor composition comprises:
 (a) at least 10 weight percent polar solvent based on the total weight of the precursor composition; and   (b) no greater than 90 weight percent polymerizable material based on the total weight of the precursor composition, the polymerizable material being capable of free-radical polymerization and having an average number of ethylenically unsaturated groups per molecule equal to at least 1.2, wherein the polymerizable material forms a single phase with the polar solvent and comprises a poly(alkylene oxide (meth)acrylate) having at least 2 (meth)acryloyl groups and having at least 5 alkylene oxide units, the poly(alkylene oxide (meth)acrylate) having a weight average molecular weight less than 2,000 g/mole.   
     
     
         18 . An article comprising a substrate having a coating of a hydrophilic gel material adhered thereto, wherein the hydrophilic gel material is prepared from a precursor composition that is at least partially polymerized when in contact with the substrate, and wherein the precursor composition comprises:
 (a) at least 5 weight percent polar solvent based on a total weight of the precursor composition; and   (b) polymerizable material capable of free-radical polymerization and having an average number of ethylenically unsaturated groups per molecule greater than 1.0, wherein the polymerizable material is miscible with the polar solvent.   
     
     
         19 . The article of  claim 18 , wherein the precursor composition comprises:
 (a) greater than 10 weight percent polar solvent based on a total weight of the precursor composition; and   (b) polymerizable material capable of free-radical polymerization and having an average number of ethylenically unsaturated groups per molecule equal to at least 1.2.   
     
     
         20 . The article of  claim 19 , wherein the precursor composition comprises:
 (a) at least 10 weight percent polar solvent based on the total weight of the precursor composition, wherein the polar solvent comprises water; and   (b) no greater than 90 weight percent polymerizable material based on the total weight of the precursor composition, the polymerizable material being capable of free-radical polymerization and having an average number of ethylenically unsaturated groups per molecule equal to at least 1.2, wherein the polymerizable material comprises a poly(alkylene oxide (meth)acrylate) having at least 2 (meth)acryloyl groups and having at least 5 alkylene oxide units.   
     
     
         21 . The article of  claim 19 , wherein the precursor composition comprises:
 (a) at least 10 weight percent polar solvent based on the total weight of the precursor composition; and   (b) no greater than 90 weight percent polymerizable material based on the total weight of the precursor composition, the polymerizable material being capable of free-radical polymerization and having an average number of ethylenically unsaturated groups per molecule equal to at least 1.2, wherein the polymerizable material forms a single phase with the polar solvent and comprises a poly(alkylene oxide (meth)acrylate) having at least 2 (meth)acryloyl groups and having at least 5 alkylene oxide units and the poly(alkylene oxide (meth)acrylate) having a weight average molecular weight less than 2,000 g/mole.   
     
     
         22 . The article of  claim 19 , wherein the precursor composition comprises:
 (a) greater than 10 weight percent polar solvent based on a total weight of the precursor composition; and   (b) less than 90 weight percent polymerizable material based on the total weight of the precursor composition, the polymerizable material being capable of free-radical polymerization and having an average number of ethylenically unsaturated groups per molecule equal to at least 1.2, the polymerizable material being miscible in the polar solvent and comprising
 i) a poly(alkylene oxide (meth)acrylate) having at least 2 (meth)acryloyl functional groups and having at least 5 alkylene oxide units; and 
 ii) 0 to less than 20 weight percent anionic monomer based on a total weight of polymerizable material in the precursor composition, wherein the anionic monomer comprises an ethylenically unsaturated group in addition to an acidic group, a salt of the acidic group, or a mixture thereof. 
   
     
     
         23 . The article of  claim 18 , wherein the coating is a discontinuous coating. 
     
     
         24 . The article of  claim 18 , which is a medical article comprising the hydrophilic gel material in a layered format. 
     
     
         25 . The article of  claim 24 , which is a wound dressing