Solid‐State 1H NMR Studies of Degradable Poly(ethylene oxide) Based Hydrogels

Hydrogels, the elastic chains of which are constituted of a short central poly(1,3-dioxolane) (PDXL) block surrounded by two hydrophilic poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) blocks, were obtained by free radical homopolymerization of α,ω-methacryloyioxy PEO-block-1,3-PDXL-block-PEO macromonomers. The central PDXL block is known to be sensitive to acidic degradation due to the presence of acetal groups. Once swollen to equilibrium, these hydrogels were characterized for their equilibrium swelling degree and their mechanical properties and network degradation studies were carried out.