PEGs are a family of water-soluble polymers, which share a common chemical structure, a linear polyether chain, consisting of multiple oxyethylene (-CH2-CH2O-) sub units with primary hydroxyl groups at each end of the chain. The general formula is shown below.

Since the ability to control and manipulate water can have a profound effect on both surface bulk material properties and surface events, water-loving PEGs have found considerable use in general commercial and specific medical applications.

Professor Neil Graham has already done much to develop and bring crosslinked PEG hydrogels to multimillion dollar commercial product status with UK and US product licenses. He has now used PEGs as the basis of the design of Ocutec's thermoplastic hydrogels.