Hydrogel lyophilization is a process used to remove water from hydrogel materials through freeze-drying. Hydrogels are three-dimensional networks of hydrophilic polymers that can hold a large amount of water within their structure. Lyophilization is a dehydration process that involves freezing the material and then subjecting it to reduced pressure, allowing the frozen water to sublime directly from solid to vapor without passing through the liquid phase.
In the context of hydrogels, lyophilization serves several purposes:
- Preservation: Lyophilization helps preserve the hydrogel structure and its bioactive components by removing water without subjecting the material to high temperatures that could denature sensitive molecules.
- Stability: Freeze-drying can enhance the stability of hydrogels by minimizing degradation reactions that may occur in the presence of water or during storage.
- Porosity control: The lyophilization process can be used to control the porosity and pore size distribution of hydrogels, which is important for applications such as drug delivery, tissue engineering, and wound healing.
- Increased shelf-life: By removing water, lyophilization can increase the shelf-life of hydrogel products by reducing the risk of microbial growth and chemical degradation.
Catachem offers lyophilization services to preserve delicate substances like biologics, vaccines, enzymes, proteins, calibrators and controls.