Ultra-violet (UV) curable hydrogels for biomedical electrode applications

UV curable hydrogel formulations based on a photoinitiated polymerization cross-linking process have been prepared and cured. The chosen system is found to result in a high degree of polymerization with significant attendant adhesive characteristics. A degree of control of the effective UV-curing of the photo-reactive hydrogel system is found to result from adjustments to the curing exposure duration and the distance from the source to the sample. Variation of the amount of the photoinitiator is shown to cause changes in the properties of the cured material. The effectiveness of deliberate changes in the viscosity of the solutions, prior to UV curing, caused by the addition of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) have also been studied. Electrical resistivity values for the various solutions, before and after UV curing, have been calculated and found to be commensurate with good quality commercially available hydrogel adhesives.