Characterization of the Hydrogen Bond Network of Waters around Polyethylene Glycol by Broadband Dielectric Spectroscopy

Hydration in aqueous polyethylene glycol (PEG) solutions with various molecular weights was evaluated using a broadband dielectric spectroscopy (100 MHz - 18 THz). With the increase of the molecular weight, the restriction strength of hydration waters becomes stronger, while the number of hydration waters decreases. The evaluation results explain an application that the contact lens package solution to employ PEG with low molecular weights.