Effect of Amino Acid Types on the Mechanical and Antimicrobial Properties of Amino Acid‐Based Polyionic Liquid Hydrogels

Abstract

Polyionic liquid hydrogels have attracted increasing attention due to their unique properties and potential applications. However, research on amino acid‐based polyionic liquid hydrogels is still in their infancy stage. Moreover, the effect of amino acid types on the properties of hydrogels has rarely been studied. In this work, amino acid‐based polyionic liquid hydrogels (D/L‐PCAA hydrogels) were synthesized by copolymerizing vinyl choline‐amino acid ionic liquids and acrylic acids using Al3+ as a crosslinking agent and bacterial cellulose (BC) as a reinforcing agent. The effects of amino acid types on mechanical and antimicrobial properties were systematically investigated. D‐arginine‐based hydrogel (D‐PCArg) showed the highest tensile strength (220.7 KPa), D‐phenylalanine‐based hydrogel (D‐PCPhe) exhibited the highest elongation at break (1346%), and L‐aspartic acid‐based hydrogel (L‐PCAsp) had the highest elastic modulus (206.9 KPa) and toughness (1.74 MJ m−3). D/L‐PCAsp hydrogels demonstrated stronger antibacterial capacity against E. coli and S. aureus and D/L‐PCPhe hydrogels possessed higher antifungal activity against C. neoformans. Moreover, the resultant hydrogels exhibited prominent hemocompatibility and low toxicity, as well as excellent self‐healing capabilities (86%) and conductivity (2.8 S m−1). These results indicated that D/L‐PCAA hydrogel provided a promise for applications in wound dressings.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Exploring Applications and Preparation Techniques for Cellulose Hydrogels: A Comprehensive Review

“…The mechanical properties of cellulose hydrogels are critical in a variety of applications [ 100 , 101 , 102 ], particularly in biomedical [ 103 ] and engineering [ 69 ] applications where materials must exhibit specific strengths and elasticity. Mechanical properties are evaluated using methods such as compression [ 104 ], tension, and shear characterization.…”