For permanently crosslinked polymer networks, the equilibrium modulus of the cured material can be predicted by Flory's theory of rubber elasticity and is proportional to the number of elastically effective chains in the network . As the number of elastically effective chains increases, so does the equilibrium modulus; therefore, a low equilibrium modulus implies the presence of unreacted crosslinks. With the same number of crosslinks possible in MEMA, PEGMA500, and PEGMA950 samples, and taking the equilibrium modulus of the MEMA polymer in Figure , PEGMA500 and PEGMA950 can be inferred to be less densely crosslinked due to the protective effects of the polyether chains. This led us to believe that 950 g/mol shielding groups are most effective at creating a steric barrier to