Fabrication And Applications Of Polyaniline/Polyvinyl Alcohol Composite Gels

Due to the good biocompatibility,excellent swelling effect,and high drug loading capacity,hydrogels have been widely used in biomedical fields,such as cancer therapy and wound healing.However,many hydrogels exhibit poor mechanical properties with single functionality,which is not conducive for futher applications.Herein,a composite hydrogel with good nano-morphology,biocompatibility,mechanical properties and excellent antibacterial activity was fabricated by freezethawing and in-situ polymerization approach.The potential application as wound dressing was explored comprehensively.Aerogel is a kind of porous material with low density and high specific surface area.It is mainly used in thermal insulation,adsorption,sensing,energy storage and other related fields.Herein,a composite aerogel with good nanotopography and high photothermal conversion efficiency has been prepared for potential effluent treatment.(1)The polyaniline/polyvinyl alcohol(PANI/PVA)composite hydrogel was prepared by freezethawing and in-situ polymerization method.The nano-morphologies of the composite hydrogel were influenced by the monomer concentration,the amount of oxidant,the stirring speed,and the addition rate of oxidant.The biocompatibility,photothermal conversion performance and antibacterial activity of the composite hydrogel have been thoroughly evaluated.The results indicated that PANI/PVA hydrogel exhibited good cytocompatibility,and excellent antibacterial efficiency of 99.8%.The in vivo assays suggested that the PANI/PVA hydrogel promoted the wound healing in mice when used as dressing materials.(2)The PANI/PVA hydrogels with different nano-morphologies were prepared by in-situ polymerization,respectively,including PANI/PVA nanoriber(NF)and PANI/PVA nanoparticles(NP).Their photothermal efficacies,antibacterial activities,blood compatibilities and potential applications as wound dressing for infected mice was investigated.It was found that both hydrogels were heated up rapidly under near infrared light.Futhermore,they all showed high antibacterial activities and excellent blood compatibility.The results from in vivo experiments,indicated that the wounds treated by the PANI/PVA NF hydrogel were closed faster after 15 days of treatment.(3)The PANI/PVA composite aerogel with high photothermal conversion efficiency was prepared.The photothermal conversion efficacy,hydrophilicity and absorption of oily liquid of the aerogel under sunlight were explored.It was verified that the composite aerogel could be heated byabout 23°C under sunlight with good hydrophilicity.The composite hydrogel could absorb oily liquids under near-infrared light,which provides a new strategy for designing green and sustainable clean techniques.