PROCEDURE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF COATED FIGURATION POLYMERS ARTICLES

The present invention relates to processes for making coated moulded polymeric articles, in which the coating is firmly adhered to the product and provides an article having different surface properties to the properties of the bulk.

It is frequently desirable to impart to the surface of a polymeric article properties different to the bulk. For instance it is often desirable to provide a hydrophobic bulk polymer with a hydrophilic surface, or visa versa. Alternatively it may be desirable to stabilise the surface of a relatively lightly crosslinked polymer by providing a relatively more highly crosslinked surface coating.

In our earlier application no. WO-A-93/01221 we described coatings for polymeric substrates, formed of polymers with zwitterionic pendant groups. The polymers provide the substrate with improved biocompatibility and haemocompatibility. The polymers may be hydrophobically adsorbed onto the surface, or may be ionically linked to the surface or, preferably, may be stabilised on the surface by provision of covalent bonding between surface functional groups and reactive groups on the polymer reactive therewith. Similar copolymers may be crosslinkable after coating, for instance by post-coating exposure to conditions whereby intermolecular crosslinking takes place. One example of a reactive group is provided by an ethylenically unsaturated group in a monomer from which the copolymer is formed. Such ethylenically unsaturated groups may be crosslinked in a intermolecular addition reaction between the ethylenically unsaturated groups of adjacent polymer chains. Alternatively the ethylenically unsaturated pendant group may be reacted with surface functional groups to provide a covalent bond with the substrate surface.

In our earlier application no. WO-A-93/05081 a polymeric substrate is provided with surface zwitterionic groups by grafting, for instance graft (co) polymerisation, of a compound bearing a zwitterionic group.

Both the above approaches to provision of covalently bonded coatings having zwitterionic groups require the provision of a substrate having surface functional groups. Where the starting material is substantially non-functional, it may be necessary to activate the surface, for instance by using an oxygen plasma pretreatment step, to provide functional groups prior to the coating or grafting step. Alternatively it may be possible to adapt the material of the substrate, during production, to introduce surface functional groups. However where the product is made in a polymerisation stage, it will be necessary to carry out the polymerisation under conditions such that the functional groups are not de-activated. This may make the curing/polymerisation process more complex, since it is generally necessary to subject the bulk material to relatively extreme conditions to ensure polymerisation throughout the bulk.

In EP-A-0362137 bulk hydrophobic substrates are provided with an integral hydrophilic surface layer by a process in which the surface of the mould is provided with a coating of a coating polymer A having pendant reactive groups, a liquid curable composition comprising a co-reactive compound is used to fill the mould, whereby the curable compositions is in contact with the coated portions of the mould surface, and the curable composition is cured to form bulk polymer B under conditions such that the reaction takes place between the said co-reactive compound and the reactive group of polymer A to form a covalent bond linking polymer A to polymer B at least at the interface between the coating and bulk polymer B. The coating polymer A may, for instance, include pendant vinylic groups. These may be reactive with ethylenically unsaturated groups in the curable composition or may react with hydrosilyl groups in a curable silicone composition. Hydrophilicity of the coating polymers is provided by ionic groups, or by poly (ethylene oxide) groups.

In a new method according to the invention providing a coated moulded polymer article the following steps are carried out:

1. a) a least a portion of the surface of a mould is provided with a coating of polymer A having pendant reactive groups;
2. b) a liquid curable composition comprising a functional compound reactive with the reactive group of polymer A is contacted with the mould whereby the composition is in contact with the portion of the mould surface coated with polymer A;
3. c) the curable composition is cured to form bulk polymer B under conditions such that reaction takes place between the functional compound and the reactive group of polymer A to form a covalent bond linking polymer A to polymer B at least at the interface between the said coating and bulk polymer B, the method being characterised in that polymer A is obtainable by radical polymerisation of ethylenically unsaturated monomers including
   1. a) a zwitterionic monomer of the general formula IY-B-X wherein
      1. B is a straight or branched alkylene, oxaalkylene or oligo-oxaalkylene chain optionally containing one or more fluorine atoms up to and including perfluorinated chains or, if X or Y contains a terminal carbon atom bonded to B, a valence bond;
      2. X is a zwitterionic group and
      3. Y is an ethylenically unsaturated polymerisable group selected from CH₂=C(R)-CH₂-O-, CH₂=C(R)-CH₂ OC(O)-, CH₂=C(R)OC(O)-, CH₂=(R)-O-, CH₂=C(R)CH₂OC(O)N(R¹)-, R³⁰OOCCR=CRC(O)-O-, RCH=CHC(O)O-, RCH=C(COOR³⁰)CH₂-C(O)-O-,
      wherein:
      1. R is hydrogen or a C₁-C₄ alkyl group;
      2. R³⁰ is hydrogen or a C_1-4 alkyl group; or BX
      3. A is -O- or -NR¹-; R¹ is hydrogen or a C₁-C₄ alkyl group or R¹ is -B-X where B and X are as defined above; and
      4. K is a group -(CH₂)_pOC(O)-, -(CH₂)_pC(O)O-, - (CH₂)_pOC(O)O-, -(CH₂)_pNR²-,-(CH₂)_pNR²C(O)-, -(CH₂)_pC(O)NR²-, -(CH₂)_pNR²C(O)O-, -(CH₂)_pOC(O)NR²-, -(CH₂)_pNR²C(O)NR²-, (in which the groups R² are the same or different) -(CH₂)_pO-, -(CH₂)_pSO₃-, or, optionally in combination with B, a valence bond and p is from 1 to 12 and R² is hydrogen or a C₁-C₄ alkyl group and
   2. b) a reactive functional monomer of the formula IIY¹B⁴R³ wherein
      1. B⁴ is a straight or branched alkylene, oxaalkylene or oligo-oxaalkylene chain optionally containing one or more fluorine atoms up to and including perfluorinated chains, or a valence bond;
      2. Y¹ is an ethylenically unsaturated polymerisable group selected from CH₂=C(R⁴)-CH₂-O-, CH₂=C(R⁴)-CH₂OC(O)-, CH₂=C(R⁴)OC(O)-, CH₂=C(R⁴)-O-CH₂=C(R⁴)CH₂OC(O)N(R⁵)-, R³¹OOCCR⁴=CR⁴C(O)-O-, R⁴H=CHC(O)-O-, R⁴H=C(COOR³¹)CH₂C(O)O-
      where
      1. R⁴ is hydrogen or C₁-C₄ alkyl;
      2. R³¹ is hydrogen, a C_1-4-alkyl group or a group B⁴R³;
      3. A¹ is -O- or -NR⁵-; R⁵ is hydrogen or a C₁-C₄ alkyl group or R⁵ is a group Q;
      4. K¹ is a group -(CH₂)_lOC(O)-, -(CH₂)_lC(O)O-, -(CH₂)_lOC(O)O-, -(CH₂)_lNR⁶-, -(CH₂)_lNR⁶C(O)-, -(CH₂)_lC(O)NR⁶-, -(CH₂)_lNR⁶C(O)O-, -(CH₂)_lOC(O)NR⁶-, -(CH₂)_lNR⁶C(O)NR⁶- (in which the goups R⁶ are the same or different), -(CH₂)_lO-, -(CH₂)_lSO₃-, a valence bond and l is from 1 to 12 and R⁶ is hydrogen or a C₁-C₄ alkyl group;

In the polymer A, the zwitterionic groups X each include an anionic group as well as a cationic group. Preferably the groups X are pendant groups, that is which are pendant from the backbone of the polymer. In group X, the atom bearing the cationic charge and the atom bearing the anionic charge are generally separated by 2 to 12 atoms, preferably 2 to 8 atoms, more preferably 3 to 6 atoms, generally at least 2 carbon atoms.

Preferably the cationic group in zwitterionic group X is an amine group, preferably a tertiary amine or, more preferably, a quaternary ammonium group. The anionic group in X may be a carboxylate, sulphate, sulphonate, phosphonate, or more preferably, phosphate group. Preferably the zwitterionic group has a single monovalently charged anionic moiety and a single monovalently charged cationic moiety. A phosphate group is preferably in the form of diester.

Preferably, in a pendant group X, the anion is closer to the polymer backbone than the cation.

Alternatively group X may be a betaine group (ie in which the cation is closer to the backbone), for instance a sulpho-, carboxy- or phospho-betaine. A betaine group should have no overall charge and is preferably therefore a carboxy- or sulphobetaine. If it is a phosphobetaine the phosphate terminal group must be a diester, i.e., be esterified with an alcohol. Such groups may be represented by the general formula II-X³-R²⁴-N⁺(R²⁵)₂-R²⁶-V    in which X³ is a valence bond, -O-, -S- or -NH-, preferably -O-;    V is a carboxylate, sulphonate or phosphate (diester-monovalently charged) anion;    R²⁴ is a valence bond (together with X³) or alkylene -C(O)alkylene- or -C(O)NHalkylene preferably alkylene and preferably containing from 1 to 6 carbon atoms in the alkylene chain;    the groups R²⁵ are the same or different and each is hydrogen or alkyl of 1 to 4 carbon atoms or the groups R²⁵ together with the nitrogen to which they are attached form a heterocyclic ring of 5 to 7 atoms; and    R²⁶ is alkylene of 1 to 20, preferably 1 to 10, more preferably 1 to 6 carbon atoms provided that when V is a sulphonate anion, R²⁶ is alkylene of 6 or more carbon atoms.

One preferred sulphobetaine monomer has the formula III where the groups R¹⁶ are the same or different and each is hydrogen or C_1-4 alkyl and d is from 2 to 4.

Preferably the groups R¹⁶ are the same. It is also preferable that at least one of the groups R¹⁶ is methyl, and more preferable that the groups R¹⁶ are both methyl.

Preferably d is 2 or 3, more preferably 3.

Alternatively the group X may be an amino acid moiety in which the alpha carbon atom (to which an amine group and the carboxylic acid group are attached) is joined through a linker group to the backbone of polymer A. Such groups may be represented by the general formula IV    in which X⁴ is a valence bond, -O-, -S- or -NH-, preferably -O-,    R²⁷ is a valence bond (optionally together with X⁴) or alkylene, -C(O)alkylene- or -C(O)NHalkylene, preferably alkylene and preferably containing from 1 to 6 carbon atoms; and    the groups R²⁸ are the same or different and each is hydrogen or alkyl of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, preferably methyl, or two of the groups R²⁸, together with the nitrogen to which they are attached, form a heterocyclic ring of from 5 to 7 atoms, or the three group R²⁸ together with the nitrogen atom to which they are attached form a fused ring structure containing from 5 to 7 atoms in each ring.    X is preferably of formula V    in which the moieties X¹ and X², which are the same or different, are -O-, -S-, -NH- or a valence bond, preferably -O-, and W⁺ is a group comprising an ammonium, phosphonium or sulphonium cationic group and a group linking the anionic and cationic moieties which is preferably a C_1-12-alkylene group.

Preferably W contains as cationic group an ammonium group, more preferably a quaternary ammonium group.

The group W⁺ may for example be a group of formula -W¹-N⁺R²³₃, -W¹-P⁺R^23a₃, -W¹-S⁺R^23a₂ or -W¹-Het⁺ in which:

1. W¹ is alkylene of 1 or more, preferably 2-6 carbon atoms optionally containing one or more ethylenically unsaturated double or triple bonds, disubstituted-aryl, alkylene aryl, aryl alkylene, or alkylene aryl alkylene, disubstituted cycloalkyl, alkylene cycloalkyl, cycloalkyl alkylene or alkylene cycloalkyl alkylene, which group W¹ optionally contains one or more fluorine substituents and/or one or more functional groups; and
2. either the groups R²³ are the same or different and each is hydrogen or alkyl of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, preferably methyl, or aryl, such as phenyl or two of the groups R²³ together with the nitrogen atom to which they are attached form a heterocyclic ring containing from 5 to 7 atoms or the three groups R²³ together with the nitrogen atom to which they are attached form a fused ring structure containing from 5 to 7 atoms in each ring, and optionally one or more of the groups R²³ is substituted by a hydrophilic functional group, and
3. the groups R^23a are the same or different and each is R²³ or a group OR²³, where R²³ is as defined above; or
4. Het is an aromatic nitrogen-, phosphorus- or sulphur-, preferably nitrogen-, containing ring, for example pyridine.

Preferably W¹ is a straight-chain alkylene group, most preferably 1,2-ethylene.

Preferred groups X of the formula V are groups of formula VI: where the groups R¹² are the same or different and each is hydrogen or C_1-4 alkyl, and e is from 1 to 4.

Preferably the groups R¹² are the same. It is also preferable that at least one of the groups R¹² is methyl, and more preferable that the groups R¹² are all methyl.

Preferably e is 2 or 3, more preferably 2.

Alternatively the ammonium phosphate ester group VI may be replaced by a glycerol derivative of the formula VB, VC or VD defined in our earlier publication no WO-A-93/01221.

It is possible that polymer A may be formed in situ as a coating on the mould surface. In this case, monomers suitable for forming polymer A are coated, optionally in a liquid vehicle, onto the mould surface and subjected to polymerisation conditions suitable for forming polymer A. Preferably, however, the polymer is pre-formed and coated from a coating composition comprising preformed polymer A onto the mould surface. The polymer is formed from monomers including a comonomer having a reactive group and a zwitterionic monomer having a zwitterionic group. The polymer formed by copolymerising monomers including a reactive comonomer and the zwitterionic monomer will consequently have both zwitterionic groups and reactive groups. An alternative, less preferred method of producing pre-formed polymer, is to introduce the reactive groups and/or the zwitterionic groups after polymerisation of monomers from a pre-cursor.

Preferably R³ is a group CH₂=CH-.

In the reactive monomer, Y¹ is preferably an acrylic type group, that is the first member of the list of ethylenically unsaturated groups. In such a group R⁴ is preferably selected from hydrogen, methyl and ethyl, and is most preferably methyl. A¹ is generally an oxygen atom, that is the compound is an acrylic ester.

B⁴ is preferably a straight alkylene group, preferably a (CH₂)_1-6, most preferably a group CH₂. Where the preferred group R³ is CH₂=CH-, and B⁴ is CH₂, A¹ is an oxygen atom and R⁴ is hydrogen or methyl, the compound is allylacrylate or allylmethacrylate.

In the zwitterionic monomer of the general formula I, B is preferably a C_1-4 alkylene, preferably ethylene, a valence bond or a straight or branched alkylene, preferably of the formula -(CR¹³₂)_m-, wherein the groups -(CR¹³₂)- are the same or different and in each group -(CR¹³₂)- the groups R¹³ are the same or different and each group R¹³ is hydrogen or C_1-4 alkyl, preferably hydrogen, and m is from 1 to 12, preferably 1 to 6, or B is an oxaalkylene groups such as alkoxyalkyl having 1 to 6 carbon atoms in each alkyl moiety, more preferably -CH₂O(CH₂)₄-; or    an oligo-oxaalkylene group of formula -[(CR¹⁴₂)_nO]_p- where the groups -(CR¹⁴₂)- are the same or different and in each group -(CR¹⁴₂)- the groups R¹⁴ are the same or different and each group R¹⁴ is hydrogen or C_1-4 alkyl, preferably hydrogen, and n is 1 to 6, preferably 2 or 3, and p is from 1 to 12, preferably 1 to 6. Preferably B is a group (CH₂)_1-2.

In the zwitterionic monomer, the group Y is preferably an acrylic type group, in which R is hydrogen, methyl or ethyl, most preferably methyl. A is preferably an oxygen atom, so that the compound is an (alk) acrylate compound.

Polymerisation of the monomers to form polymer A must be carried out under conditions such that the reactive group R³ does not take part to a significant extent in addition polymerisation. The type of group R³ must therefore be different to the ethylenically unsaturated group in Y. This allows polymers having controlled characteristics with a pre-determined level of reactive groups R³, for instance which can be separated, purified and analysed before being used to coat the mould in the first step of the present process. This provides advantages over the use of a pre-polymer, for instance formed by incomplete polymerisation of ethylenically. unsaturated comonomers including di- or higher-functional ethylenically unsaturated monomers in which all of the ethylenic groups are identical to one another. Partially cured polymers formed from such polyfunctional ethylenically unsaturated monomers have been used to provide reactive coatings for moulds in which curable liquid compositions are moulded in EP-A-0207640 and US-A-4544572.

In a preferred polymer the unsaturated monomers include

1. c) cross-linkable monomer of the general formula XIY³B³R²⁰ in which B³ is a straight or branched alkylene, oxaalkylene or oligo-oxaalkylene chain optionally containing one or more fluorine atoms up to and including perfluorinated chains, or a valence bond;    Y³ is an ethylenically unsaturated polymerisable group selected from CH₂=C(R²¹)-CH₂-O-, CH₂=C(R²¹)-CH₂OC(O)-, CH₂=C(R²¹)OC(O)-, CH₂=C(R²¹)-O-, CH₂=C(R²¹)CH₂OC(O)N(R²²)-, R²⁹OOCCR²¹=CR²¹C(O)-O-, R²¹H=CHC(O)-O-, R²¹H=C(COOR²⁹)CH₂C(O)O- where
   1. R²¹ is hydrogen or C₁-C₄ alkyl;
   2. R²⁹ is hydrogen, a C_1-4-alkyl group;
   3. A⁴ is -O- or -NR²²-;
   4. R²² is hydrogen or a C₁-C₄ alkyl group or R²² is a group B³R²⁰;
   5. K⁴ is a group -(CH₂)_rOC(O)-, -(CH)_rC(O)O-, -(CH₂)_rOC(O)O-, -(CH₂)_rNR²²-, -(CH₂)_rNR²²C(O)-, -(CH₂)_rC(O)NR²²-, -(CH₂)_lNR²²C(O)O-, -(CH₂)_rOC(O)NR²²-, -(CH₂)_rNR²²C(O)NR²²- (in which the groups R²² are the same or different), -(CH₂)_rO-, -(CH₂)_rSO₃-, a valence bond and r is from 1 to 12 and
   6. R²⁰ is different to R³ and is a cross-linkable group.

Preferably R²⁰ is selected from cinnamyl, epoxy, -CHOHCH₂Hal (in which Hal is chlorine, bromine or iodine), methylol, silyl groups having 1 to 3 halogen, C_1-4 alkoxy or C_2-4 alkanoyloxy substituents, acetylenically unsaturated groups, and acetoacetoxy and chloroalkyl sulphone groups, preferably reactive silyl and epoxy groups.

In the monomer of the general formula XI Y³ is selected from the same preferred groups as Y, and B³ is selected from the same preferred groups as B.

Preferably Y, Y¹ and Y³ are the same, most preferably CH₂C(CH₃)COO-.

In the present process, the curable composition is generally subject to curing conditions in which polymerisation takes place of liquid monomer or pre-polymer. Alternatively curing may comprise a thermosetting process, for instance in which intermolecular or intramolecular crosslinking of a curable polymer takes place. The functional compound should be curable component which cures to become incorporated into polymer B.

The reactive group in polymer A may be a co-polymerisable ethylenically unsaturated group polymerising with monomers in the curable composition.

In one particular embodiment of the invention, the curable composition comprises ethylenically unsaturated monomers and/or pre-polymer and the curing involves radical polymerisation of the ethylenically unsaturated polymerisable groups. The monomers may include functional monomer having a functional group as defined above.

The functional monomer has general formula VIII:Y²B²R⁷ wherein

1. B² is a straight or branched alkylene, oxaalkylene or oligo-oxaalkylene chain optionally containing one or more fluorine atoms up to and including perfluorinated chains, optionally including an alkylene-sulphonamido group, linker or a siloxane group, or B² is a valence bond;
2. Y² is an ethylenically unsaturated polymerisable group selected from CH₂=C(R⁸)-CH₂-O-, CH₂=C(R⁸)-CH₂OC(O)-, CH₂=C(R⁸)OC(O)-, CH₂=C(R⁸)-O-, CH₂=C(R⁸)CH₂OC(O)N(R⁹)-, R¹⁰OOCCR⁸=CR⁸C(O)-O-, R⁸H = CHC(O)-O-, R⁸H = C(COOR¹⁰)CH₂C(O)O-

1. R⁸ is hydrogen or C₁-C₄ alkyl;
2. R¹⁰ is hydrogen, a C_1-4-alkyl group or a group B²R⁷;
3. A¹ is -O- or -NR⁹-; R⁹ is hydrogen or a C₁-C₄ alkyl group or R is a group B² R⁷;
4. K² is a group -(CH₂)_kOC(O)-, -(CH)_kC(O)O-, -(CH₂)_kOC(O)O-, -(CH₂)_kNR¹¹-, -(CH₂)_kNR¹¹C(O)-, -(CH₂)_kOC(O)O-, -(CH₂)_kNR¹¹-, -(CH₂)_kNR¹¹C(O)-, -(CH₂)_kC(O)NR¹¹-, -(CH₂)_kNR¹¹C(O)O-, -(CH₂)_kOC(O)NR¹¹-, -(CH₂)_kNR¹¹C(O)NR¹¹- (in which the groups R¹¹ are the same or different), -(CH₂)_kO-, -(CH₂)_kSO₃-, a valence bond and k is from 1 to 12 and R¹¹ is hydrogen or a C₁-C₄ alkyl group;
5. R⁷ is a functional group which reacts with the reactive group of polymer A or, where the reactive group of polymer A is an ethylenically unsaturated group, R⁷ is hydrogen, C_1-24 alkyl, C_1-24 hydroxyalkyl, C_1-24 fluoroalkyl, C_2-4 alkoxy(C_2-24)alkyl, a siloxane group (SiR¹⁹₂)(OSiR¹⁹₂)_qR¹⁹ in which each R¹⁹ is a C_1-12-alkyl group or a trialkylsiloxy group in which each alkyl has 1 to 12 carbon atoms, and q is 0 to 49, or a group of formula Y².

Where R⁷ is a functional group, it is preferably selected from the group consisting of ethylenically and acetylenically unsaturated group containing radicals; aldehyde groups; silane and siloxane groups containing one or more substituents selected from halogen atoms and C_1-4-alkoxy groups; hydroxyl; amino; carboxyl; epoxy; -CHOHCH₂Hal (in which Hal is selected from chlorine, bromine and iodine atoms); succinimido; tosylate; inflate; imidazole carbonyl amino; optionally substituted triazine groups; acetoxy; mesylate; carbonyl di(cyclo)alkyl carbodiimidoyl; isocyanate; acetoacetoxy and oximino.

The curable composition may further contain di-, tri- or poly-unsaturated crosslinking monomers which are copolymerisable with the other components of the composition. For instance, such crosslinking monomers have two or more similar ethylenically unsaturated groups. Examples are methylene bisacrylamide, ethylene glycoldimethacrylate, siloxane dimethacrylate, such as poly(dimethylsiloxane) dimethacrylate, poly(ethyleneglycol)dimethacrylate, glycerol di- or tri-methacrylate, or pentaerythritol di-, tri- or tetra-methacrylate.

Generally polymer A as well as the curable composition comprise diluent comonomers. In each case, the diluent comonomers may be used to give the polymer desired physical and mechanical properties. For both polymer A and the curable composition formed of ethylenically unsaturated monomers, particular examples of diluent comonomers include alkyl(alk)acrylates preferably containing 1 to 24 carbon atoms in the alkyl group of the ester moiety, such as methyl methacrylate or dodecyl methacrylate; dialkylamino alkyl(alk)-acrylates and -acrylamides preferably containing 1 to 4 carbon atoms in each alkyl moiety of the amine and 1 to 4 carbon atoms in the alkylene chain and/or quaternary derivatives thereof, e.g. 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl (alk)acrylate; N-alkyl (alk)acrylamides and N,N-dialkyl(alk)acrylamides preferably containing 1 to 4 carbon atoms in the or each N-alkyl group; hydroxyalkyl (alk)-acrylates and -acrylamides preferably containing from 1 to 4 carbon atoms in the hydroxyalkyl moiety, e.g. a 2-hydroxyethyl (alk)acrylate, glycerylmonomethacrylate or polyethyleneglycol monomethacrylate; or a vinyl monomer such as an N-vinyl lactam, preferably containing from 5 to 7 atoms in the lactam ring, for instance vinyl pyrrolidone; (meth)acrylamide; (meth)acrylonitrile; ethylenically unsaturated acids, and anhydrides, such as (alk)acrylic, maleic, and fumaric acids and monoesters of the dibasic acids; styrene or a styrene derivative which for example is substituted on the phenyl ring by one or more alkyl groups containing from 1 to 6, preferably 1 to 4, carbon atoms, and/or by one or more halogen, such as fluorine atoms, e.g. (pentafluorophenyl)styrene. Preferably the diluent is non-ionic.

Diluent comonomers in polymer A are useful for controlling the surface activity of the polymer and hence its ability to coat a mould surface. Suitable diluent comonomers for providing a hydrophobic polymer A are C_4-24-alkyl-(alk)acrylates and -(alk)acrylamides, C_1-24-fluoroalkyl-(alk)acrylates and -(alk)acrylamides, and siloxane substituted (alk)acrylates and -(alk)acrylamides eg having siloxane groups of the formula (CR¹⁸₂)_r(SiR¹⁷₂)(OSiR¹⁷₂)_qR¹⁷ where the or each R¹⁸ is hydrogen or C_1-4 alkyl (preferably hydrogen), r is 0 to 6, each R¹⁷ is independently selected from C_1-12 alkyl and trialkylsiloxy groups in which the alkyl groups have 1 to 12, preferably, carbon atom, (preferably all groups R¹⁷ are methyl) and q is 0-49. Hydrophobic diluents especially fluoroalkyl or siloxane group containing monomers may confer improved adsorption properties for use with hydrophobic mould surfaces.

Other suitable diluent comonomers include polyhydroxyl, for example sugar, (alk)acrylates and (alk)acrylamides in which the alkyl group contains from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, e.g. sugar acrylates, methacrylates, ethacrylates, acrylamides, methacrylamides and ethacrylamides. Suitable sugars include glucose and sorbitol. Particularly suitable diluent comonomers include methacryloyl glucose or sorbitol methacrylate.

Further diluents which may be mentioned specifically include polymerisable alkenes, preferably of 2-4 carbon atoms, eg. ethylene, dienes such as butadiene, alkylene anhydrides such as maleic anhydride and cyano-substituted alkylenes, such as acrylonitrile.

Other suitable monomers which may be included in polymer A or, more preferably, the curable composition, are acrylic functional siloxanes eg mono- or difunctional siloxanes. Acrylic functional silanes in the curable composition are usually present in admixture with acrylic diluent comonomers described above.

In another embodiment of the present process, the curable composition forms a polysiloxane polymer. The curable composition may be formed of liquid pre-polymer, for instance hydrosilyl groups which react with silicone vinyl groups to form crosslinks in the presence of catalyst such as a platinum compound. Such pre-polymers may be provided with functional groups which react with the reactive groups of the polymer A during the curing reaction. The ethylenically unsaturated groups of polymer A react with hydrosilyl groups during the curing (crosslinking).

Curing of siloxane pre-polymers (eg approximately equivalent amounts of hydrosilyl group-containing polysiloxane and of vinyl substituted polysiloxane known as two-part silicones) may be conducted in the presence of a suitable catalyst for the curing reaction and/or for the reaction between the functional group and the reactive group. Suitable catalysts are, for instance platinum complexes, organotitinate compounds, acids and bases, the selection being determined by the curing reaction which takes place.

For this embodiment, a process is achieved which allows a highly hydrophobic bulk polymer to be provided with a surface with readily tailorable characteristics, such as of highly hydrophilic nature. Polysiloxane bulk polymers are of particular utility in formation of articles which are desired to have high oxygen, or other gas, permeability. Such materials are, for instance, used in corneal refractive devices, especially contact lenses, or in pre-corneal devices such as intraocular lenses or intraocular contact lenses (phakic intraocular lenses).

A polymer coated onto the mould, may be partially reacted prior to addition of the liquid curable composition, for instance, to cross-link the polymer through reaction of a portion of reactive groups, provided adequate reactive groups in the partially reacted polymer, which forms polymer A or A', are available for reacting in the curing step.

Polymer A may contain pre-cross-linkable groups, for instance introduced by including pre-cross-linkable monomer in the starting formulation. Such monomers contain a cross-linkable group, which is a different group to the reactive group and which is capable of forming intermolecular crosslinks, for instance after coating the precursor of polymer A onto the mould surface. In one embodiment such intermolecular cross-linking should take place under conditions which do not result in simultaneous reaction of the reactive groups of the polymer which would otherwise deactivate the polymer and prevent its subsequent reaction with the curable composition in the curing reaction. Such cross-linking may stabilise the coating on the mould and/or on the final product. In another embodiment the crosslinkable groups may react to form intermolecular cross-links under the same conditions under which curing to form polymer B takes place, so that curing, reaction of reactive groups in polymer A/A' with functional groups in the curable composition and cross-linking take place simultaneously. The cross-linking may provide additional stability of the coating in the final product, especially in the region of the coating away from the interface between coating polymer A/A' and bulk polymer B. Suitable intermolecular cross-linking groups are cinnamyl, epoxy, -CHOHCH₂Hal (in which Hal is chlorine, bromine or iodine), methylol, silyl groups having 1 to 3 halogen, C_1-4 alkoxy or C_2-4 alkanoyloxy substituents, acetylenically unsaturated groups, acetoacetoxy and chloroalkyl sulphone groups, preferably trialkoxysilyl groups.

The liquid vehicle of a coating composition of polymer A may be a non-polymerisable solvent, for instance in which the polymer may be dissolved or dispersed. The solvent is, for instance an aqueous and/or organic liquid, preferably comprising an alcohol, glycol and/or an alkane. The coating composition may be coated onto the mould and solidified and may optionally be cross-linked after coating.

The solidification step may involve removal by evaporation of the solvent, for instance under raised temperature and/or reduced pressure. The cross-linking step may be carried out, during or after the solidification step. In this specification solidifcation includes gelification or any step in which the polymer is immobilised on the substrate.

For polymer A the molar ratio of reactive functional monomer to zwitterionic monomer is preferably in the range 20:1 to 1:20, most preferably in the range 10:1 to 1:10, more preferably in range 5:1 to 1:5.

Where diluent monomer is included in polymer A the total molar content of diluent may be up to 95%, for instance up to 90%, most preferably up to 75%. Preferably diluent is present, in an amount of at least 10 mole %, more preferably at least 25 mole %.

Pre-cross-linkable monomer may be included in the ethylenically unsaturated monomer in a molar amount in the range 0.01 to 25%, preferably an amount in the range 0.1 to 10%, more preferably 1-10%.

Polymer A preferably has a molecular weight in the range 10³-10⁶, preferably in the range 2 x 10³ to 2 x 10⁵. Preferably, in the coating composition, the polymer is substantially non-cross-linked (optionally cross-linkable) and hence potentially soluble in a suitable solvent.

Polymer A may have pendant ligands, for instance pharmaceutically active compounds, dye molecules, UV absorbers etc. Such ligands may be introduced by incorporation of ligand group containing monomers in the polymerisation or may be post reacted on to the polymer before or after coating of the mould, or even after demoulding of the coated moulded product.

The coating composition, formed of preformed polymer A generally comprises the polymer in solution or dispersion form in a suitable liquid vehicle. The liquid vehicle may be aqueous or organic solvent based. Suitable solvents may be selected as desired to achieve adequate levels of dissolution of the substantially non-cross-linked polymer. Preferred organic solvents are lower alkanols and glycols. The coating composition may contain other components which are either inert diluents or which improve the coating performance or the reaction between polymer A and the curable composition. For instance the composition may include surfactants, pharmaceutically active compounds, dyes, UV absorbers, pigments, activating agents, catalysts, initiators, chain transfer agent, additional monomer, cross-linking agents, eg having two functional groups for linking to polymer pendant reactive groups, etc. Components which are not permanently bound to polymer A or polymer B may be removed after coating of the mould and before it is filled with curable composition, or after curing and removal of the moulded product from the mould, for instance by washing with a suitable washing solution.

In the process in which coating composition comprising preformed polymer is coated onto a mould surface, the solvent may or may not be removed prior to contacting the coated surface with curable composition. It may be desirable to remove the solvent in order to form a physically stable coating on the mould surface which is not displaced upon filling of the mould with curable composition. Removal of solvent is generally by evaporation, for instance under reduced pressure.

The curable composition may consist only of components which form part of bulk polymer B. The curable composition should be in liquid form when applied to the mould. Where components of the curable composition, for instance monomers, are liquids at room temperature, any solid components of the curable composition may be dissolved or dispersed in the liquid monomer. Alternatively, or additionally, it may be desirable to include in the curable composition a liquid vehicle, for instance a solvent for dissolving solid components or increasing the compatibility of immiscible liquid components. Alternatively the curable composition may include a solid or liquid diluent, for instance which is included to provide desired physical characteristics after polymerisation. Any non-polymerisable diluent included in the curable composition may be removed after polymerisation, for instance by evaporation or, more usually by washing using a liquid rinse composition.

The curable composition generally comprises components to optimise curing such as initiators, catalysts, chain transfer agents, chain terminating agents, cross-linking agent, such as di- or oligo-unsaturated comonomers, polymerisation inhibitors etc. The curable composition may also contain fillers and/or pigments, especially particulate filler such as titanium dioxide.

For a curable composition based on ethylenically unsaturated monomer the functional monomer is generally present in a molar amount of at least about 1%, preferably at least 5%, up to about 50%, for instance up to 33%. Any crosslinking monomer is generally present in a molar amount in the range 0.01 to 10 mole %, preferably 0.1 to 5.0 mole % for instance 0.5 - 2.0%. Diluent comonomer is suitably present in an amount of at least 25% molar, preferably at least 50% molar, for instance at least 67%.

The invention may work with most moulds. The mould should preferably be substantially free of surface functional groups which would otherwise form covalent bonds with the reactive groups of polymer A. It may be desirable to pretreat a mould to render its surface non-reactive with the coating polymer. For instance a steel surface may be passivated. Alternatively a release layer may be added previously to the mould to prevent contact of an otherwise reactive mould surface with the polymer. The mould may be made of a polymeric material such as polyolefin or polyester.

The cured coated moulded product may be demoulded by any suitable means which disrupts the adhesion between the mould and coating polymer A. Where, as in a preferred aspect polymer A is relatively hydrophilic, demoulding may involve hydration, which leads to a swelling of the coating and disruption of the adhesion to the mould.

Advantages which the approach of the present invention may have over the prior art include:

1. 1) The coating polymer is prepared in a single step and is easy to purify.
2. 2) The composition of the coating copolymer can be tailored over a wide range of hydrophilicity, functionality, etc. The amount of covalent binding group (such as allyl methacrylate) can be varied over a very wide range to control thickness, reactivity, etc.
3. 3) The coating is tightly bound to the surface of the moulded device as there are many potential reactive sites on the coating. This also ensures a homogenous coverage.
4. 4) The coating is reactive to both addition polymerised (Pt cure silicones) and free radical polymerised moulded substrates.
5. 5) The coating polymer film forms readily to provide a smooth, homogenous coating.

The invention is illustrated further in the following examples:

Granulocyte activation has been defined as a useful measure of enhanced biocompatibility. This protocol measures granulocyte activation in response to stimuli with beads of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and modified materials. It employs an initial purification step to separate out polymorphonuclear leucocytes (PMN's) from venous blood. This mixture of cells is then incubated with potential novel materials for ten minutes in the presence of nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT). This allows the oxidative burst triggered by inflammatory materials to be visualised colourimetrically.

A 20 ml sample of venus blood is contacted with defibrinating beads until a silvery-red clot is attached to the beads. 20 mls ESS is added to the blood. Into a plastic tube 5 ml Histopaque 1119 is placed followed by a layer of 5 ml Histopaque 1077, followed by 10 ml of the diluted blood. The tube is centrifuged to separate the polymorphonuclear leucocytes, which form the lower layer. The PMN's are washed with ESS three times and suspended in 10% foetal calf serum. A cell density of 10⁶ cells per ml is produced by dilution. About 100 µl of the cell suspension is then added to discs of test material, using polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) discs as a positive control and PMMA coated with a 2:1 copolymer of dodecylmethacrylate: MPC, synthesised and coated as described in WO-A-93/01221, as a reference for adequate biocompatibility performance. The cells are allowed to stand for at least 30 minutes at 37°C, then washed with PBS. Adherent cells are then incubated with NBT solution (100 µl) for at least one hour at 37°C. Subsequently the adherent cells are fixed the paraformaldehyde then washed again and viewed under light microscopy. Adhered cells and activated granular sites, which appear blue, are enumerated.

Damage to the endothelial layer of the cornea following intraocular lens (IOL) implantation is a serious problem in a minority of cataract operations. Of the lens materials which have been evaluated PMMA has been shown to cause the most traumatic effects. An in vitro assay capable of evaluating the effects of contact with novel base materials on the corneal endothelium has thus been developed. This utilises the BCE/D bovine corneal endothelial cell line. BCE/D has an indefinite growth potential and expresses a similar spectrum of function-related enzymes to those found in the normal human cornea.

Corneal endothelial cells are cultured to confluence in MEM plus 10% FCS and 5% NCS. A 13 mm disc of the material under test is placed gently on the surface of the cells in the plate. After a predetermined period (for instance 5 minutes) the test material is removed, medium which had been removed replaced and the cells allowed to recover for 30 minutes. Cellular damage is scored under a light microscope as compared to the control (non-contacted) monolayer using image analysis.

Again PMMA is used as a positive control, and PMMA coated with 2:1 (mole) copolymer of dodecylmethacrylate and 2-methacryloyloxy-2'-trimethylammonium ethyl phosphate inner salt (PMMA-PC) as a reference example.

AGO4677 rabbit lens epithelial cells are a primary cell strain obtained from the Corriell Repository in New York and have been used to determine the number of cells which adhere to the surface of a material. This gives a relative measure of the biocompatibility of a material. The assay measures cell biomass by using extraction of cellular ATP from the attached cells.

Rabbit lens epithelial cells are cultured to confluence or near confluence, detached using trips in and suspended, washed and resuspended at a cell density of around 6000 cells per ml. Samples of the material under test are placed into wells of a plate with 1 ml of the cell suspension and incubated at 37°C for 72 hours. The test materials are removed and washed three times with sterile PBS to remove non-adhered cells. The materials are then placed in wells of a further plate, to which 500 µl of lysis buffer (1% TCA and 2 mM EDTA in PBS) is contacted in the wells for 15 minutes at room temperature and subsequently at -70°C. Extracted ATP is removed from the well and diluted once with tris acetate buffer. ATP monitoring reagent (firefly luciferase) is placed in a luminometer cuvette, and the background emission read. Subsequently 150 µl of the hypotonic extract is added to each well and the constant level of light emission determined. From this the relative ATP levels and consequently the relative levels of epithelial cell attachment, are determined by subtracting the background from the sample values. PMMA is used as a positive control and PMMA-PC as a reference example.

1. E. coli Stock Culture NCTC 10964 ( 10% glycerol in nutrient broth) (PHLS) 20°C
2. E.coli Rabbit Polyclonal HRP-conjugate   (DAKO)   4°C
3. CLED with Andrades Agar Plates   (Oxoid)   4°C
4. Mueller Hinton Broth   (Oxoid)   4°C
5. Nutrient Broth   (Oxoid)   4°C
6. Phosphate-citrate Buffer with Urea
7. Peroxide Tablets   (Sigma)   4°C
8. O-phenylene Diamine Tablets (10mg/ml) (OPD)   (Sigma)   4°C
9. Bovine Serum Albumin   (Sigma)   4°C
10. PBS   (BDH)   RT

E. coli Stock Culture is sub-cultured on agar overnight at 37°C. An isolated colony is inoculated into Mueller Hinton broth and incubated at 37°C for 18 hours. Aliquots of the suspension are then cultured further in nutrent broth in contact with samples under test for 18 hours at 37°C. The samples are then washed four times with PBS. The washed samples are then contacted with blocking buffer (1% BSA in PBS) to reduce non specific binding, for 1 hour at room temperature. The blocked samples are then washed and contacted with polycolonal rabbit antibody to E. coli, conjugated to horseradish peroxidase for 1 hour at room temperature. The samples are washed and then incubated in contact with ortho-phenylene-diamine in PCB for a predetermined period of time. The absorbences at 450 nm are read and compared to a control.

The surface characteristics of some of the coated lenses was assessed using the following techniques:

1. a) Optical clarity was assessed by visual inspection to determine whether the coatings impact on the optical properties of the lens.
2. b) Dynamic contact angle measurements were made using the Wilhelmy plate method on a Cahn DCA analyser.
3. c) Lubricity/blocking was assessed by rubbing the wet lens between finger and thumb and assessing the ease of movement. Over the surface of the lens. A score of 1="surface lubricious with no blocking of movement over its surface. A score of" 5 = surface not lubritious and tends to block or hinder movement over its surface.
4. d) The nature of the chemical groups on the surface of the lens was studied using ESCA (Electron Spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis).

All tests were performed after the coated lens had been autoclaved at 121°C in BBS buffer for 30 minutes, cleaned with Miraflow for 1 minute and then thoroughly rinsed in Ultra-Pure water to remove any traces of surfactant cleaner.

A 4:1 mole copolymer of allyl methacrylate (AM) and 2-(methacryloyloxy ethyl)-2'-(trimethylammonium)ethyl phosphate inner salt (MPC) was prepared by free radical polymerisation. A solution of ethanol (34.5g) / ethyl acetate (25.5g) was placed under nitrogen at 60°C. AM (3.1g) and MPC (30g) in ethanol (45g)/ ethyl acetate (54ml) and a solution of bis(4-tert-butylcyclohexyl)peroxydicarbonate (0.075g) in ethyl acetate (19.5g) were fed into the solution over four hours and then the reaction mixture was left for a further hour. A second solution of bis(4-tert-butylcyclohexyl)peroxydicarbonate (0.015g) in ethanol (6ml)/ethyl acetate (4.5ml) was then added to the reaction solution and left stirring for 1 hour. The copolymer was precipitated in acetone and dried. The copolymer was applied to the inner surface of a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) mould liner by dip coating from ethanol (50 mg/ml polymer solution). A liquid silicone rubber formulation (Applied Silicone Corporation 40072) was poured into the coated mould. The mould was then closed and cured at 80°C for 12 hours. The resulting silicone membranes were removed from the moulds and rinsed in deionised water. The surface of the membranes was more wettable and lubricious than membranes made from the same silicone rubber formulation using uncoated PET moulds. The static contact angle of the membranes was evaluated using the sessile drop method and dynamic contact angle (DCA) measurement using standard DCA test wherein the probe solution is borate buffered saline, using the Wilhelmy plate method with a speed of 160 µm/s. The lubricity of the membranes was evaluated on a scale of 1-5 (1 represents a non-slippy, blocking surface, 5 indicates a lubricious, non-blocking surface).

To test the durability of the coating, the membranes were sterilised at 121°C for 30 minutes in a borate buffered saline and then cleaned using a marketed contact lens cleaner (MiraFlow). The wettability of the coated membrane remained high compared to the uncoated membrane and the lubricity was also maintained.

ESCA (Electron Spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis) was used to confirm the presence of nitrogen and phosphorus which are characteristic of the phosphorylcholine- containing coating. At 7-10 nm analysis depth there was approximately 0.5 atom % nitrogen and phosphorus, consistent with a thin coating.

Samples for biocompatibility tests were prepared by an identical method except that the cure time was 30 minutes at 150°C. The biocompatibility of the coated materials was assessed after autoclaving and cleaning with MiraFlow. The adhesion of rabbit lens epithelial cells, bacteria (E. coli) and granulocytes was assessed by in vitro assays. The damage to corneal lens endothelial cells was also assessed in vitro. The results are in Figures 1 to 4.

A 2-:50:30 copolymer of AM, methylmethacrylate (MMA) and MPC was prepared by free radical polymerisation in a similar fashion to Example 1. The copolymer was purified by precipitation in acetone and dried under vacuum.

The copolymer was applied to the inner surface of a PET mould liner by dip coating from ethanol (polymer concentration 10mg/ml). A liquid silicone rubber formulation (Applied Silicone Corporation 40072) was poured into the coated mould. The mould was then closed and cured at 150°C for 30 minutes. The resulting silicone membranes were removed from the moulds and rinsed in deionised water. The surface of the membranes was substantially more wettable and lubricious than membranes made from the same silicone rubber formulation using uncoated PET moulds.

To test the durability of the coating, the membranes were sterilised at 121°C for 30 minutes in a borate buffered saline and then cleaned using a marketed contact lens cleaner (MiraFlow). The wettability of the coated membrane remained high compared to the uncoated membrane and the lubricity was maintained.

Wettability and lubricity are shown in Table 2 below.

A 20:5:75 mole % AM:3-trimethoxysilylpropylmethacrylate (TMSPM): MPC polymer was synthesised by free radical polymerisation. MPC (21.3686g) was dissolved in 100 ml ethanol. 3-Trimethoxysilylpropyl methacrylate (TMSPM) (1.1976g) and AM (2.4338g) were dissolved in 25 ml ethanol. AIBN (0.05g) was dissolved in 25 ml of ethanol. The monomers were added together in a 3-necked round bottom flask fitted with condenser and nitrogen inlet. A further 100 ml of ethanol was used to wash any excess reagents into the reaction flask. The mixture was de-oxygenated for 30 minutes by bubbling a stream of nitrogen through the mixture while stirring. The initiator was charged to the reaction vessel and the temperature increased to 65°C. The reaction was performed under a nitrogen atmosphere and allowed to proceed for 72 hours.

The ethanol was removed on a rotary evaporator at 30°C. Dichloromethane/MeOH (70/30) was added to dissolve the solid polymer and the resulting solution added dropwise to 3000 ml acetone which was stirring. The white precipitate was filtered under nitrogen and dried in a vacuum oven at room temperature for 72hours.

The resulting polymer gave a yield of approximately 70 %.

The¹H NMR spectrum showed the presence of allylic and trimethoxysilyl groups.

The copolymer was applied to the inner surface of a PET mould liner by dip coating from ethanol (polymer concentration 10mg/ml). A liquid silicone rubber formulation (Applied Silicone Corporation 40072) was poured into the coated mould. The mould was then closed and cured at 150°C for 30 minutes wherein the silicone is cured and, it is believed, the coating cross-links. The resulting silicone membranes were removed from the moulds and rinsed in deionised water. The surface of the membranes was more wettable and lubricious than membranes made from the same silicone rubber formulation using uncoated PET moulds.

The membranes were sterilised at 121°C for 30 minutes in a borate buffered saline and then cleaned using a marketed contact lens cleaner (MiraFlow). The wettability of the coated membranes (evaluated as for Example 1) remained high compared to the uncoated membrane and the lubricity was maintained.

The copolymer synthesised in example 3 was applied to the inner surface of a PET mould liner by dip coating from ethanol (polymer concentration 10mg/ml). A liquid silicone rubber formulation (Applied Silicone Corporation LSR70) was poured into the coated mould. The mould was then closed and cured at 150°C under pressure of 1 tonne for 30 minutes. The resulting silicone membranes were removed from the moulds and rinsed in deionised water. The membranes were sterilised at 121°C for 30 minutes in a phosphate buffered saline. The membranes were highly wettable and lubricious.

A model silicone lens formulation was prepared from 60% w/w of a polydimethylsiloxane end capped with methacrylate functionality (Shin Etsu X-22-164B), (PDMS-MA) 25% w/w of methyl methacrylate and 15% w/w of butyl acrylate. Polypropylene lens moulds (the female moulds producing the convex surface were subjected to an air plasma at 100W for 30s to increase adhesion and wettability) were dip coated from a 2.5% w/w solution of the allyl methacrylate- MPC copolymer from example 1 in ethanol and allowed to dry. They were then filled with the formulation which had 1% by weight of benzoin methyl ether (BME) as initiator.

The moulds were closed and subjected to ultra violet irradiation (Blak Ray long wavelength UV lamp model B100 AP, from UVP Upland CA) for 1 hour. After demoulding, the lenses were extracted in isopropylalcohol and then borate buffered saline. The lenses were highly wettable and lubricious even after autoclaving in borate buffered saline at 121°C followed by cleaning with Miraflow contact lens cleaner.

ESCA analysis at a take off angle of 35° confirmed the presence of N and P characteristic of the PC coating after autoclaving and cleaning (representative data shown in Table 3 below for two areas from one lens). N and P levels were equivalent as expected for the PC headgroup. The values from the two areas shows good uniformity for the coating. There was no significant difference between concave and convex sides.

Example 5 was repeated except that the coating solution for the moulds additionally contained 1% w/w (based on polymer) ofBME.

The moulds were closed and subjected to ultra violet irradiation as in example 5 for 1 hour. After demoulding, the lenses were extracted in isopropylalcohol and then borate buffered saline. The lenses were highly wettable and lubricious even after autoclaving in borate buffered saline at 121°C followed by cleaning with Miraflow contact lens cleaner.

ESCA analysis at a take off angle of 35° confirmed the presence of N and P characteristic of the PC coating after autoclaving and cleaning (representative data shown below for one lens).

By comparison the N and P values with those of Example 5, at the same take off angle, this example shows that coating thickness can be increased by addition of additional photoinitiator to the coating. For this type of composition, plasma pretreatment seems to result in a thickness differential.

The sample depth analysed in the ESCA is about 6µm. These results indicate that the coatings are thinner than this since the N and P values for pure coating polymer is around 5%. The thickness of the coating on the convex side is about 4µm and on the concave side about 2µm. Coating thicknesses of 1-10µm on the product are preferred.

A 2:1 (mole) copolymer ofMPC and butyl methacrylate was prepared by the following method. MPC (12.125g) was dissolved in ethanol (150ml) then butyl methacrylate (2.91g), and AIBN (0.0289g) were added with stirring. Nitrogen was passed through the solution for 15 minutes then the solution was heated to 60°C for 24 hours, under a positive pressure of nitrogen. On cooling, the copolymer was precipitated in acetone and dried.

The copolymer was applied to PET mould liners by dip coating from a 10mg/ml ethanol solution. A liquid silicone rubber formulation (Applied Silicone Corporation 40072) was poured into the coated mould. The mould was then closed and cured at 80°C for 14 hours. The resulting silicone membranes were removed from the moulds and rinsed in deionised water. The surface of the membranes was more wettable (by the retraction test) than a membrane made from the same silicone rubber formulation using uncoated PET moulds. The wettability was however not as high as for the allyl methacrylate copolymer. The advancing angle of the membrane coated from the butylmethacrylate copolymer was virtually identical to that of the uncoated membrane.

The membranes were sterilised at 121° for 30 minutes in a borate buffered saline and then cleaned using a commercial contact lens cleaner (MiraFlow).

Wettability and lubricity were evaluated as in example 1 and also by Dynamic Contact Angle analysis as for example 1 above. The results are shown in table 5.

ESCA analysis of the sample after autoclaving and cleaning showed the absence of phosphorus and nitrogen.

A solution of the required mixture of monomers was made up, usually in an alcohol or mixture containing alcohol in order to solubilise the MPC. The initiator (Perkadox P6) was made up in a separate solution, usually an acetate ester solvent. Dependent upon the scale (<100g polymer), these solutions could be combined and pumped as a single feed into a monomer starved polymerisation vessel.

A 250ml three neck flask was fitted with a mechanical overhead stirrer, condensor, thermometer and nitrogen inlet. The flask was charged with 60ml of an appropriate solvent or combination of solvents and brought to reflux. The monomer/initiator solution was fed into this reaction mixture over a 2-3 hour period. Initiator choice was based on a half-life of 10-60 minutes at the reaction temperature being used. A final polymer concentration of 25% w/v was desirable in order to facilitate the precipitation stage.

After complete addition of monomers, the temperature was held (at 60-63°C) for a further hour and then the mixture spiked with additional initiator to minimise free monomer levels in the final polymer. The temperature was held for a further 2 hours before removing the heat and preparing for precipitation.

A 1 litre precipitation vessel was fitted with an overhead stirrer and charged with an initial volume (normally ∼15% of the total precipitation solvent) of a 9:1 non-solvent:solvent mixture (usually acetone:alcohol). Into this was pumped the warm polymer solution through an in-line sintered glass filter and simultaneously in an additional feed, further precipitation solvent. After complete addition of polymer solution and non-solvent, the precipitated material was allowed to settle before the supernatant liquor was removed using a vacuum probe. The polymer mass was redissolved in further solvent with slight warming to aid dissolution. The solution was then pumped to a second precipitation vessel and the process repeated. The final polymer was washed with non-solvent, filtered and dried in a vacuum oven for a minimum of 16 hours.

The monomers and their ratios are shown in Table 6.

1. CM is choline methacrylate
2. PDMSMM is monomethacryloylated polydimethyl siloxane having a molecular weight of about 2500
3. PEGM monomethoxy polyethylene glycol methacrylate of which the PEG has molecular weight of about 550
4. FDM is 1,1,2,2(4H) heptadecafluorodecylmethacrylate
5. NNDMA is N,N-dimethylacrylamide
6. BM is butylmethacrylate
7. HPMA is 3-hydroxypropylmethacrylate
8. IPA is isopropyl alcohol
9. EtOH is ethanol
10. EtOAc is ethyl acetate
11. DM is dodecylmethacrylate and
12. GM is glycidyl methacrylate

The components in Table 7 below were mixed together and stirred until a clear solution was obtained. The formulation was then de-gassed by bubbling nitrogen through the formulation for 5-10 minutes.    TRIS is 3-[tris(trimethylsiloxy)silyl] propyl methacrylate    BME is benzoin methylether (initiator)

The coating solution was prepared by dissolving the polymer of example 7.20 in ethanol at a concentration of 25mg/ml. The initiator (BME: Benzoin Methyl Ether) was added to the solution at a concentration of 2 %w/w on polymer. The solution was then passed through a 0.2µm filter.

Both the male and female parts of the polypropylene contact lens mould were dipped into the polymer coating solution for 2-3 seconds. The moulds were removed and allowed to dry in air for approximately 1 hour.

Approximately 40 µL of bulk monomer formulation was placed into the dried polypropylene contact lens mould. The mould was then closed and sealed. The reaction was performed by exposing the contact lens mould to UV radiation (Black Ray Long Wavelength UV Lamp, Model B100AP from UVP Upland CA) for approximately 1 hour. The moulds were opened using a contact lens de-moulder. The lenses were placed into isopropanol (iPA)/Deionised Water (DI) (70/30) for at least 3 hours. Each lens was then detached from the moulds and placed in DI for 2 hours, the DI water was replaced once for a further 2 hours. The lenses were then placed into vials containing Borate Buffered Solution saline and autoclaved at 121 °C for 30 minutes.

1. a) The resulting coated lenses were optically clear. The coating did not therefore have any observable effect on the optical properties of the lens.
2. b) From the DCA results it was found that the surface of the lens is much more wettable than an identical uncoated silicone hydrogel. The table below summarises the results from the DCA experiments. The hysteresis is also significantly reduced for the coated lens compared to the uncoated lens. This shows that the IMC process is a suitable method with which to impart a phosphorylcholine-containing coating onto the surface of a silicone hydrogel.
3. c) The surface lubricity of the coated lens was much better than that for the uncoated lens.
4. d) ESCA confirmed the presence of nitrogen and phosphorus which are characteristic of the phosphorylcholine-containing coating on the surface of the coated lens.

Example 8 was repeated but using the polymer of Example 7.10 in the coating solution in place of the polymer of 7.20

1. a) The resulting coated lenses were optically clear. The coating did not therefore have any observable effect on the optical properties of the lens.
2. b) From the DCA results it was found that the surface of the lens is much more wettable than an identical uncoated silicone hydrogel. The table below summarises the results from the DCA experiments. The hysteresis is also significantly reduced for the coated lens compared to the uncoated lens.. This shows that the IMC process is a suitable method with which to impart a phosorylcholine containing coating onto the surface of silicone hydrogel.
3. c) The surface lubricity of the coated lens was much better than that for the uncoated lens.
4. d) ESCA confirmed the presence of nitrogen and phosphorus which are characteristic of the phosphorylcholine containing coating on the surface of the coated lens.

Example 8 was repeated but using the polymer of example 7.11 in place of the polymer of Example 7.20.

1. a) The resulting coated lenses were optically clear. The coating did not therefore have any observable effect on the optical properties of the lens.
2. b) From the DCA results it was found that the surface of the lens is much more wettable than an identical uncoated silicone hydrogel. The table below summarises the results from the DCA experiments. The hysteresis is also significantly reduced for the coated lens compared to the uncoated lens. This shows that the IMC process is a suitable method with which to impart a phosphorylcholine-containing coating onto the surface of silicone hydrogel.
3. c) The surface lubricity of the coated lens was much better than that for the uncoated lens.
4. d) ESCA confirmed the presence of nitrogen and phosphorus which are characteristic of the phosphorylcholine containing coating on the surface of the coated lens.

Example 8 was repeated but using the polymer of example 1 in place of polymer of example 7.20. For this example the polypropylene mould pieces were pretreated with plasma for 30s in oxygen at 100w with the gas flow at mark 4 in a Bio-rad RF-plasma barrel-etcher PT7100 before dipping into the coating composition to improve surface wetting. The method was otherwise the same.

1. a) The resulting coated lenses were optically clear. The coating did not therefore have any observable effect on the optical properties of the lens.
2. b) From the DCA results it was found that the surface of the lens is much more wettable than an identical uncoated silicone hydrogel. The table below summarises the results from the DCA experiments. The hysteresis is also significantly reduced for the coated lens compared to the uncoated lens. This shows that the IMC process is a suitable method with which to impart a phosphorylcholine-containing coating onto the surface of a silicone hydrogel.
3. c) The surface lubricity of the coated lens was much better than that for the uncoated lens.
4. d) ESCA confirmed the presence of nitrogen and phosphorus which are characteristic of the phosphorylcholine containing coating on the surface of the coated lens.

A polymer of formula MPC:2-(t-butyl)aminoethyl methacrylate 75:25 was made according to the general procedure outlined in example 7 in a solvent of isopropylalcohol ethylacetate (4.5:1) using 2,2-azobis(isobutyronitrile) as the initiator at a polymerisation temperature of about 89-90°C. After the polymerisation was complete, the reaction mixture was cooled and m-3-isopropenyl-αα-dimethylbenzyl isocyanate was added in order to react with all 2°amine groups available on the alkyl amino pendant groups. Complete addition of isocyanate to amine was confirmed by FT-IR. The solution was returned to reflux for 1 hour, then cooled before precipitation.

The polymer has a pendant ethylenically unsaturated group suitable for use in a process similar to that of example 5 or 8, to coat a mould used to polymerise ethylenically unsaturated bulk monomer mixtures.

The components in table 20 below were mixed together and stirred until a clear solution was obtained. The formulation was then de-gassed by bubbling nitrogen through the formulation for 5-10 minutes.

EGDMA is ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate.

The coating solution was prepared by dissolving the coating polymer (Example 1, 7.10 or 7.11) in ethanol at a concentration of 25mg/ml. The initiator (BME: Benzoin Methyl Ether) was added to the solution at a concentration of 2 %w/w on polymer. The solution was then passed through a 0.2µm filter.

For the polymer of example 1, both male and female parts of the polypropylene contact lens mould were plasma treated (Conditions: 30 seconds, Oxygen, 100 Watts, Gas Flow =4), prior to coating.

The lenses were coated, dried, filled and cured as in example 8 above. The product lenses were then assessed.

1. a) All the resulting coated lenses were optically clear. The coatings did not therefore have any observable effect on the optical properties of the lenses.
2. b) From the wettability study it was found that the surface of all of the coated lenses were even more wettable (score 1) than an identical uncoated lens (score 3).

Example 13 was repeated but using as the bulk monomer solution a mixture of 99.34% by weight 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and 0.66% by weight ethyleneglycoldimethacrylate.

1. a) The resulting coated lenses were optically clear. The coating did not therefore have any observable effect on the optical properties of the lens.
2. b) From the wettability study it was found that the surface, all three of the coated lenses are more wettable than an identical uncoated lens. The table below summarises the results from the wettability experiments. This shows that the process is a suitable method with which to impart a phosphorylcholine containing coating onto the surface of pHEMA hydrogel.
3. c) The surface lubricity of the coated lens was much better than that for the uncoated lens.

Example 8 was repeated using the same bulk monomer composition and coating polymer with the difference being that HEMA was added to the coating solution, at a concentration of 30% by weight based upon the polymer weight. Drying of the coating and polymerisation of the bulk proceeded in the same manner.

The product surface and clarity characteristics were assessed and found to be equivalent to those of the product of Example 8. It is assumed that the concentration of phosphorylcholine groups at the surface will be lower by virtue of the incorporation of HEMA, which is assumed to polymerise in the surface coating. However the coating still has desirable characteristics.

The components in Table 23 below were mixed to make the bulk monomer solution. Polypropylene lens moulds were plasma treated as in Example 11 and then coated with 0.2 µm filtered 25 mg/ml solution of the coating polymer (MPC:TMSPM:AM 80:5:15 made by a process analogous to that of Example 7.6) in ethanol, containing 2% w/w (based on polymer) BME. The coated moulds were allowed to dry at ambient conditions for about 1 hour. Some of the coated moulds were then placed in a vacuum oven for 2 hours at 80°C to crosslink the trimethoxysilyl groups. The bulk monomer solution was then used to fill the moulds and was cured using the same general technique as Example 8. The surface and optical characteristics product lenses were assessed.

The uncoated lenses were very hydrophobic (wettability score 5). The pre-crosslinked coatings were much more wettable, scoring 2-3. Lubricity was likewise reduced from 5 to 2-3.

The components in table 24 were mixed to form the bulk monomer solution. The coating solution consisted of a solution of 50 mg/ml product of Example 1, 1% w/w (based on polymer) BME and a surfactant (S-100, Ciba Vision) at a rate of 2-3 drops per 20 ml (to improve mould surface wetting) in ethanol. The lens moulds were plasma treated as in Example 8 and the dipped into the coating solution. After allowing the coating to dry in air, some of the coated lenses were subjected to a partial curing step by exposure to UV for 15 min, using the same lamp as for the monomer curing. Subsequent filling, curing and lens recovery steps were carried out as in Example 8.

The product lenses of which the coating had been subjected to the partial cure prior to filling the mould with bulk monomer had better shape retention than those on which no partial curing was carried out. The lubricity and wettability values for the lens was reduced by the partial cure coating from 5 to 1 in each case.