New! AquaGel-Bio

This material is a compressible hydrogel (when slightly humid) comprised almost entirely of US-FDA Generally Regarded as Safe (GRAS) materials.

Crosslinking is maintained by hydrolyzable diacrylate polymer and vinylicaly modified polypeptide. As these crosslinks break down, the material will start to fall apart and resorb.

This polymer also strongly deswells in the presence of low pH conditions.

Storage at 4°C is suggested.

The price for samples of this polymer is $7/gram (cylinder shapes) plus shipping and handling.

Product Information

AquaGel superporous hydrogels have the following properties:

Fast Responsiveness

Conventional hydrogels swell or shrink in response to environmental changes too slowly for many applications. Our AquaGel superporous hydrogel technology allows preparation of hydrogel systems that change their dimensions in a matter of a minute, regardless of size.

High Swelling Ratio

AquaGels swell not only fast but also to very large sizes. The swelling ratio (^{swollen size}⁄_{dry size}) can be as large as several hundred. To maintain the mechanical strength of fully swollen hydrogels, the swelling ratio can be lowered to less than 100 by increasing the crosslinking density. The enhanced mechanical property can also be obtained by making superporous hydrogel composites and/or elastic superporous hydrogels.

Elasticity

AquaGels swell in water in less than a minute regardless of their sizes. Since more than 90% of the weight of swollen superporous hydrogels is water, they are usually mechanically weak. Akina has developed AquaGel elastic superporous hydrogels that can stretch more than 100% of their original size. The high elasticity also makes the superporous hydrogels mechanically resilient. The elastic superporous hydrogels are ideal for various applications ranging from oral controlled-release formulations to tissue engineering applications.

AquaGel Samples Available for Purchase

Please note that samples are not intended for clinical usage and are for research purposes only.

Standard Superporous Hydrogel

Samples of standard formulation AquaGel are available for purchase at a cost of $2.00 per one-gram cylinder. Other sizes and shapes can be made. Please contact us for a quotation on superporous hydrogels which match your desired size and shape.

Custom Superporous Hydrogels Available

Superporous hydrogels can also be custom formulated to match your desired application. Prices on custom formulated hydrogels vary and please contact us to discuss your application further. Note that these hydrogels can be varied to match your desired properties by altering their manufacturing method and contents.

AquaGel Questions and Answers

Is your AquaGel biocompatible?

The stock AquaGel we have on hand now is not necessarily designed for a medical usage, however we can generate material that is comprised of highly-porous crosslinked biocompatible polymer, such as poly(acrylic acid)(PAA). PAA has US-FDA Generally Regarded as Safe (GRAS) status, and as such is very biocompatible. There are other GRAS polymers we can use for this as well, which are very biocompatible.

Is it biodegradable? If yes, in which time frame?

Typical superporous hydrogel is not biodegradable over any meaningful timeframe (vinylic polymer), however it can be modified to contain biodegradable crosslinkers which will allow the material to biodegrade as whole. This can be done on a custom synthesis basis. Generally a highly-hydrated material such as this is biodegradable in very short time frames since there is so much water exposure (days-weeks at most).

Is it FDA approved for medical applications?

We have licensed the use of this material for manufacturing hydrophobic coatings on coils that are used to block aneurysms. There are variants of this material that are FDA approved for medical applications, however, for the synthesis of this hydrogel directly, Akina lacks the GMP facilities for generating this in-house.

How much does it cost (including shipping)?

For in-stock samples the price on these is $2/gram (cylinder). We ship small amounts in a US Postal Service Priority Mail Flat Rate small box: 8⁵⁄₈ inches x 5³⁄₈ inches x 1⁵⁄₈ inches). For larger purchases, the unit price will drop dramatically if the form of the material is not a consideration, as this allows large scale synthesis to be done. The shipping cost will vary depending on weight and priority.

Which is the minimum amount you can ship?

No minimum order necessary. You can buy as little as 1 gram.

Is it available on stock? How long does it take to have it shipped in ...?

We typically maintain about 10-50 grams in stock of the general hydrogel. Regular shipping arrives in ~6-10 business days, more expensive priority shipping arrives sooner.