Organic solvents enhance polyvinyl alcohol/polyethylene glycol self‐healing hydrogels for artificial cartilage

Abstract

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogels have potential applications in bionic articular cartilage due to their good biocompatibility and low friction. However, the lack of adequate mechanical properties is a key obstacle for PVA hydrogels to replace natural cartilage. In this study, polyethylene glycol (PEG) was introduced into the PVA hydrogel, and the (PVA/PEG) composite gels were prepared by a blending physical cross-linking method. The PVA/PEG gels were treated with a simple and novel organic solvent immersion dehydration to improve its mechanical and tribological properties. And the using of organic solvents for dehydration changed the network structure of the PVA/PEG gels, which improved the mechanical properties effectively. In this study, the effects of different organic solvents on the tribological properties, swelling ratio, shore hardness, and dehydration rate of PVA/PEG hydrogels were investigated. Compared with natural drying, organic solvent dehydration reduced the gel formation time. Notably, the organic solvent dehydration treatment reduces the wear rate of PE ball friction pair to 27.4% of the original amount, improving wear resistance. Meanwhile, self-healing and cellular immune assays demonstrated the excellent biocompatibility and self-healing ability of the PVA/PEG gels.This study provides a new candidate material for the design of articular cartilage, which is expected to advance the progress of artificial cartilage repair.

Structural, thermal and dielectric properties of glycerolized hydrogen‐bonded polyvinyl alcohol films

“…The main peaks of PVA at 2937, 2907, 1656, 1412, 1327 cm −1 are not affected by the addition of glycerol whatever its concentration. These peaks refer to asymmetric stretching of CH 2 , symmetric stretching of CH 2 , bound water, CH 2 bending, δ(OH) (rocking with CH wagging), respectively 38–40 . Pure PVA exhibits a broadband pattern as a consequence of the existence of intermolecular and intramolecular OH stretching situated between 2900 and 3700 cm −1 .…”

“…These peaks refer to asymmetric stretching of CH 2 , symmetric stretching of CH 2 , bound water, CH 2 bending, δ(OH) (rocking with CH wagging), respectively. [38][39][40] Pure PVA exhibits a broadband pattern as a consequence of the existence of intermolecular and intramolecular O H stretching situated between 2900 and 3700 cm À1 . This broad hydroxyl stretching band is shifted to higher wavenumbers with increasing glycerol concentration.…”

Improving Osseointegration Potential of 3D Printed PEEK Implants with Biomimetic Periodontal Ligament Fiber Hydrogel Surface Modifications

“…However, due to certain limitations on hydrogel deformation imposed by PEEK substrate material, once a specific threshold is reached, its friction coefficient tends towards stability. [38,39,42,43] As a result, a significant portion of load in SCHSPEEK is borne by liquid phase which effectively reduces energy consumption associated with friction and minimizes trauma during implantation process.…”

Improved Mechanical Property and Corrosion and Wear Resistance of High-Voltage Aluminium Wires by Micro-Arc Oxidation Coating

“…where ℎ denotes the height of the spherical cap equalling (𝑟 − √𝑟 2 − (𝐷 𝑤 2 ⁄ ) 2 ) given the steel ball radius 𝑟 (mm). Based on the sliding distance 𝐿 𝑠 (m) and the testing load 𝐹 (N), a wear rate 𝑊 (mm 3 •(N•m) -1 ) is estimated by (3) to quantify the wear behaviour [33]. For each disk sample, three friction tests were performed on different sections of the sample, with the average and standard deviation (SD) of the test results being calculated.…”