Performance characterization of bacterial cellulose reinforced polyvinyl alcohol/ polyacrylamide composite hydrogels / 中国组织工程研究

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: With the extension of the application of polymer hydrogel materials, to develop polymer hydrogel materials with better performance has become a hotspot. OBJECTIVE: To compare the mechanical properties of polyvinyl alcohol/polyacrylamide (PVA/PAM) composite hydrogel before and after modification by bacterial cellulose (BC), thereby providing a theoretic basis for its application in wound dressing.METHODS: BC-reinforced PVA/PAM hydrogels with different PVA/PAM contents were prepared using repeated freezing-thaw method. The BC/PVA/PAM hydrogels were characterized by infrared spectrum (IR) analysis, mechanical property test and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation, and thermogravimetric analysis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: SEM and IR results showed the PVA and PAM were combined and attached onto the surface of BC, indicating a success in the preparation of BC/PVA/PAM hydrogels. Results from the thermogravimetric analysis showed that the thermal-stability of the BC/PVA/PAM hydrogels improved significantly. The mechanical test results demonstrated that the tensile strength of the PVA/PAM hydrogels was strongly enhanced, and the elongation at break was significantly lowered after being reinforced with BC. Furthermore, the content of PVA and PAM had an obvious effect on the mechanical properties of the composites. When the PAM content was 1.0%, the tensile strength and elongation at break of BC/PVA/PAM composites were at the highest level, which were 331.79 kPa and 105.33%, respectively; when the PVA content was 3.5%, the elongation at break of the BC/PVA/PAM composites was increased to the maximum (46.25%). Moreover, the results of this work reveal that the BC/PVA/PAM hydrogels exhibit some promising characteristics as artificial biomaterials. In general, the introduction of bacterial cellulose significantly improves the mechanical properties of the PVA/PAM hydrogels, and enhances the stability of the BC/PVA/PAM.