Interplay of thermal and covalent gelation of silanized hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose gels.

Silanized hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (Si-HPMC) is a biocompatible polysaccharide that forms a covalently crosslinked hydrogel at all temperatures due to silanol condensation. Unmodified HPMC forms reversible turbid physical gels when heated above 55°C. The interaction between thermal gelation and covalent crosslinking of Si-HPMC was investigated with rheology, turbidity and microscopy.

Evidence for the coexistence of interpenetrating permanent and transient networks of hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose.

Dynamic mechanical properties of aqueous solutions of hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC) were investigated using oscillatory shear measurements. The structure was investigated with light scattering. A systematic investigation of the frequency dependence of the shear moduli showed that HPMC forms two distinct interpenetrating networks.