Tailoring of poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogels properties by incorporation of crosslinked acrylic acid

The present paper aims to study the possibility to modify the properties of poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogel incorporated with crosslinked acrylic acid (AAc) by UV irradiation in order to extend the nature of PVA as a biomaterial for many applications in regenerative medicine such as a scaffold that provide structural integrity to tissue constructs, control drug and protein delivery to tissues and cultures. The chemical components in modified hydrogels have been determined by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and confirmed the successful crosslinking of AAc within the hydrogels. The inter-morphology has been studied by Scanning Electronic Microscopy (SEM) and demonstrated a uniform micro-pore distribution through the entire modified hydrogels. These results, in combination with the good compatibility of PVA and P(AAc), suggest that PVA/P(AAc) hydrogel is a promising biomaterial for tissue engineering regenerative medicine application.