Hydrogel materials used in the manufacture of biocompatible medical devices, for example, hydrogel materials having desirable physical properties for use as a contact lens. A composition contains at least one vinyl containing monomer, a methacrylate(acrylate) monomer, methacrylate (acrylate) prepolymers, crosslinking agents and monomers having the structure as shown in Formula 1: ##STR00001##
where R.sup.1 is a vinyl functionality capable of radical polymerization with specific preference for N-vinyl lactam derivatives and R.sup.2 is a zwitterionic functionality. The materials utilize a two-phase polymerization strategy.

The present invention provides a vinyl alcohol-amino acid ester copolymer that is excellent in properties such as cell culture properties, biocompatibility, antibacterial properties, and solubility in organic solvents, and is applicable to the medical field, the biomaterial field, and the agricultural field (medical and life science fields). Provided is a vinyl alcohol-amino acid ester copolymer including a unit represented by the following formula (1) and a unit represented by the following formula (2): ##STR00001## where, in the formula (2), R.sup.1 represents a hydrocarbon group that may optionally have a substituent, R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 each independently represent a hydrogen atom or a hydrocarbon group, and R.sup.1 and R.sup.2, or R.sup.2 and R.sup.3, may optionally be bonded together to form a cyclic structure.

The present invention provides a vinyl alcohol-amino acid ester copolymer that is excellent in properties such as cell culture properties, biocompatibility, antibacterial properties, and solubility in organic solvents, and is applicable to the medical field, the biomaterial field, and the agricultural field (medical and life science fields). Provided is a vinyl alcohol-amino acid ester copolymer including a unit represented by the following formula (1) and a unit represented by the following formula (2): ##STR00001## where, in the formula (2), R.sup.1 represents a hydrocarbon group that may optionally have a substituent, R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 each independently represent a hydrogen atom or a hydrocarbon group, and R.sup.1 and R.sup.2, or R.sup.2 and R.sup.3, may optionally be bonded together to form a cyclic structure.

In an embodiment, the present disclosure pertains to a method of changing the glass transition temperature of a polymer. In some embodiments, the polymer includes at least one hydrazone-containing compound. In general, the methods of the present disclosure include one or more of the following steps of: (1) applying light to the polymer; and (2) thereby changing the glass transition temperature of the polymer. In another embodiment, the present disclosure pertains to a polymer having a light-adjustable glass transition temperature. In some embodiments, the polymer includes at least one hydrazone-containing compound.

Hydrogel materials used in the manufacture of biocompatible medical devices, for example, hydrogel materials having desirable physical properties for use as a contact lens. A composition contains at least one vinyl containing monomer, a methacrylate(acrylate) monomer, methacrylate (acrylate) prepolymers, crosslinking agents and monomers having the structure as shown in Formula 1:

##STR00001##

where R.sup.1 is a vinyl functionality capable of radical polymerization with specific preference for N-vinyl lactam derivatives and R.sup.2 is a zwitterionic functionality. The materials utilize a two-phase polymerization strategy.

Hydrogel materials used in the manufacture of biocompatible medical devices, for example, hydrogel materials having desirable physical properties for use as a contact lens. A composition contains at least one vinyl containing monomer, a methacrylate(acrylate) monomer, methacrylate (acrylate) prepolymers, crosslinking agents and monomers having the structure as shown in Formula 1: ##STR00001##
where R.sup.1 is a vinyl functionality capable of radical polymerization with specific preference for N-vinyl lactam derivatives and R.sup.2 is a zwitterionic functionality. The materials utilize a two-phase polymerization strategy.