Alginate Fiber-Enhanced Poly(vinyl alcohol) Hydrogels with Superior Lubricating Property and Biocompatibility

Zhang, Ran; Zhao, Wenhui; Ning, Fangdong; Zhen, Jinming; Qiang, Huifen; Zhang, Yujue; Liu, Fengzhen; Jia, Zhengfeng

doi:10.3390/polym14194063

Open AccessArticle

Alginate Fiber-Enhanced Poly(vinyl alcohol) Hydrogels with Superior Lubricating Property and Biocompatibility

by

Ran Zhang

^1,*,

Wenhui Zhao

¹,

Fangdong Ning

¹,

Jinming Zhen

¹,

Huifen Qiang

^1,2,

Yujue Zhang

²,

Fengzhen Liu

^1,2 and

Zhengfeng Jia

^1,*

¹

School of Materials Science and Engineering, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, China

²

Liaocheng People’s Hospital, Liaocheng 252000, China

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Polymers 2022, 14(19), 4063; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14194063

Submission received: 7 September 2022 / Revised: 25 September 2022 / Accepted: 26 September 2022 / Published: 28 September 2022

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer-Based Lubricating Materials)

Download

Browse Figures

Versions Notes

Abstract

The design of a novel interpenetrating network hydrogel inspired by the microscopic architecture of natural cartilage based on a supramolecular sodium alginate (SA) nanofibril network is reported in this paper. The mechanical strength and toughness of the poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogel were significantly improved after being incorporated with the alginate nanofibril network. The multiple hydrogen bonds between PVA chains and alginate fibers provided an efficient energy dissipation, thus leading to a significant increase in the mechanical strength of the PVA/SA/NaCl hydrogel. The PVA/SA/NaCl hydrogel demonstrated superior water-lubrication and load-bearing performance due to noncovalent interactions compared with pure PVA hydrogels. Moreover, the bioactivity of the PVA/SA/NaCl hydrogel was proved by the MC3T3 cell proliferation and viability assays over 7 days. Therefore, alginate fiber-enhanced hydrogels with high strength and low friction properties are expected to be used as novel biomimetic lubrication materials.

Keywords: poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel; alginate fibers; hydrogen bonds; high strength; superior lubrication

Graphical Abstract

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Zhang, R.; Zhao, W.; Ning, F.; Zhen, J.; Qiang, H.; Zhang, Y.; Liu, F.; Jia, Z. Alginate Fiber-Enhanced Poly(vinyl alcohol) Hydrogels with Superior Lubricating Property and Biocompatibility. Polymers 2022, 14, 4063. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14194063

AMA Style

Zhang R, Zhao W, Ning F, Zhen J, Qiang H, Zhang Y, Liu F, Jia Z. Alginate Fiber-Enhanced Poly(vinyl alcohol) Hydrogels with Superior Lubricating Property and Biocompatibility. Polymers. 2022; 14(19):4063. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14194063

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zhang, Ran, Wenhui Zhao, Fangdong Ning, Jinming Zhen, Huifen Qiang, Yujue Zhang, Fengzhen Liu, and Zhengfeng Jia. 2022. "Alginate Fiber-Enhanced Poly(vinyl alcohol) Hydrogels with Superior Lubricating Property and Biocompatibility" Polymers 14, no. 19: 4063. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14194063

APA Style

Zhang, R., Zhao, W., Ning, F., Zhen, J., Qiang, H., Zhang, Y., Liu, F., & Jia, Z. (2022). Alginate Fiber-Enhanced Poly(vinyl alcohol) Hydrogels with Superior Lubricating Property and Biocompatibility. Polymers, 14(19), 4063. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14194063

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Menu

Alginate Fiber-Enhanced Poly(vinyl alcohol) Hydrogels with Superior Lubricating Property and Biocompatibility

Abstract

Share and Cite

Article Metrics

Article Access Statistics

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI