Biocompatible Hydrogel Coating on Silicone Rubber with Improved Antifouling and Durable Lubricious Properties

Silicone rubber is widely used in various medical applications. However, silicone rubber is prone to biofouling due to their affinity for lipids and has a high friction coefficient, which can significantly impact their efficacy and performance used as medical devices. Thus, the development of hydrogels with antifouling and lubricious abilities for the modification of silicone rubber is in high demand. We herein prepared a variety of hydrogel coatings mainly based on polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and poly (ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA). We modified the silicone rubber using the prepared hydrogel coatings and cured it using a heating method. Then, we characterized its surface and evaluated the antifouling property, lubricious property, cytotoxicity, sensitization, and vaginal irritation. The results of water contact angle (WCA), protein adsorption, and friction coefficient indicated the success of the modification of the silicone rubber, leading to a significant decrease in the corresponding test values. Meanwhile, the results of cytotoxicity, sensitization, and vaginal irritation tests showed that the hydrogel coating-modified silicone rubbers have an excellent biocompatibility. This study describes how the silicone rubber could be modified with a biocompatible hydrogel coating. The hydrogel coating-modified silicone rubbers have improved antifouling and durable lubricious properties.