Macromolecular design and electrochemical properties of pH-responsive polycationic hydrogels

We investigated the electrochemical properties of pH-responsive supramolecular hydrogels prepared from partial methacrylation of branched polyethyleneimine. The methacrylated PEI (PEIMA) molecules self-assemble in water into highly swollen hydrogels with tunable hydrophilicity and microstructure, which are related to the degree of methacrylation of the starting branched macromolecules. The PEI-MA hydrogels show multi-responsive properties and can be used as enabling platform for relevant applications in the biomedical and biotechnology fields. In particular, due to their supramolecular nature and responsiveness to pH changes, these polycationic hydrogels show superior properties for the reversible binding and release of negatively charged biomolecules, such as DNA.