Cellulose-g-poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethylmethacrylate) Hydrogels: Synthesis, Characterization, Antibacterial Testing and Polymer Electrolyte Application

Hydrogels have been investigated due to their unique properties. These include high water content and biocompatibility. Here, hydrogels with different ratios of poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethylmethacrylate) (PDMAEMA) were grafted onto cellulose (Cel-g-PDMAEMA) by the free radical polymerization method and gamma-ray radiation was applied in order to increase crosslinking and content of PDMAEMA. Gamma irradiation enabled an increase of PDMAEMA content in hydrogels in case of higher ratio of 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate in the initial reaction mixture. The swelling of synthesized hydrogels was monitored in dependence of pH (3, 5.5 and 10) during up to 60 days. The swelling increased from 270% to 900%. Testing of antimicrobial activity of selected hydrogel films showed weak inhibitory activity against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Bacillus subtilis. The results obtained by the cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) indicate that chemically synthesized hydrogels have good characteristics for the supercapacitor application.