Studies on the formation and characterization of macroporous electron-beam generated hyaluronan cryogels

• Successful synthesis of electron-beam derived hyaluronan methacrylate cryogels.
• New insight in the reaction mechanism of the formation of hyaluronan-based cryogels.
• Enhancement of the reaction efficiency by the addition of a crosslinking agent.
• No cytotoxicity was found on the hyaluronan-based cryogels.

Macroporous cryogels from methacrylated hyaluronan were synthesized at sub-zero temperatures using a novel electron-beam based approach with and without the use of tetra(ethylene glycol) diacrylate as additional cross-linker. Mechanically stable materials possessing a spongy morphology with pore diameters ranging from 50 µm to 70 µm were obtained and characterized by scanning electron microscopy. The excellent cytocompatibility was proven by seeding and cultivation of 3T3 mouse cells on top of the gels. The primary reaction and the chain growth radicals were investigated by quantum chemical calculation and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy and experimentally verified by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The additional cross-linker enhances the reaction efficiency of the cryogel formation.