Sample records for alcohol pva hydrogel

  1. Property-based design: optimization and characterization of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel and PVA-matrix composite for artificial cornea.

    PubMed

    Jiang, Hong; Zuo, Yi; Zhang, Li; Li, Jidong; Zhang, Aiming; Li, Yubao; Yang, Xiaochao

    2014-03-01

    Each approach for artificial cornea design is toward the same goal: to develop a material that best mimics the important properties of natural cornea. Accordingly, the selection and optimization of corneal substitute should be based on their physicochemical properties. In this study, three types of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogels with different polymerization degree (PVA1799, PVA2499 and PVA2699) were prepared by freeze-thawing techniques. After characterization in terms of transparency, water content, water contact angle, mechanical property, root-mean-square roughness and protein adsorption behavior, the optimized PVA2499 hydrogel with similar properties of natural cornea was selected as a matrix material for artificial cornea. Based on this, a biomimetic artificial cornea was fabricated with core-and-skirt structure: a transparent PVA hydrogel core, surrounding by a ringed PVA-matrix composite skirt that composed of graphite, Fe-doped nano hydroxyapatite (n-Fe-HA) and PVA hydrogel. Different ratio of graphite/n-Fe-HA can tune the skirt color from dark brown to light brown, which well simulates the iris color of Oriental eyes. Moreover, morphologic and mechanical examination showed that an integrated core-and-skirt artificial cornea was formed from an interpenetrating polymer network, no phase separation appeared on the interface between the core and the skirt.

  2. Dynamics in poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) based hydrogel: Neutron scattering study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Prabhudesai, S. A.; Lawrence, Mathias B.; Mitra, S.; Desa, J. A. E.; Mukhopadhyay, R.

    2015-06-01

    Results of quasielastic neutron scattering measurements carried out on Poly Vinyl Alcohol (PVA) based hydrogels are reported here. PVA hydrogels are formed using Borax as a cross-linking agent in D2O solvent. This synthetic polymer can be used for obtaining the hydrogels with potential use in the field of biomaterials. The aim of this paper is to study the dynamics of polymer chain in the hydrogel since it is known that polymer mobility influences the kinetics of loading and release of drugs. It is found that the dynamics of hydrogen atoms in the polymer chain could be described by a model where the diffusion of hydrogen atoms is limited within a spherical volume of radius 3.3 Å. Average diffusivity estimated from the behavior of quasielastic width is found to be 1.2 × 10-5 cm2/sec.

  3. Dynamics in poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) based hydrogel: Neutron scattering study

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Prabhudesai, S. A., E-mail: swapnil@barc.gov.in; Mitra, S.; Mukhopadhyay, R.

    2015-06-24

    Results of quasielastic neutron scattering measurements carried out on Poly Vinyl Alcohol (PVA) based hydrogels are reported here. PVA hydrogels are formed using Borax as a cross-linking agent in D{sub 2}O solvent. This synthetic polymer can be used for obtaining the hydrogels with potential use in the field of biomaterials. The aim of this paper is to study the dynamics of polymer chain in the hydrogel since it is known that polymer mobility influences the kinetics of loading and release of drugs. It is found that the dynamics of hydrogen atoms in the polymer chain could be described by amore » model where the diffusion of hydrogen atoms is limited within a spherical volume of radius 3.3 Å. Average diffusivity estimated from the behavior of quasielastic width is found to be 1.2 × 10{sup −5} cm{sup 2}/sec.« less

  4. Synthesis and characterization of oil palm empty fruit bunch-grafted-polyvinyl alcohol (OPEFB-g-PVA) hydrogel for removal of copper ions from aqueous solution

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wen, Soh Jing; Rabat, Nurul Ekmi; Osman, Noridah

    2017-12-01

    Oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fiber is a natural polymer which is potentially used as efficient adsorbents for heavy metal cations. The main objective of this research is to synthesize OPEFB grafted polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel by using ammonium persulfate (APS) as initiator and gelatin as crosslinking agent. The grafting temperature, amounts of cross linking agent, initiator and concentration of OPEFB were manipulated in order to optimize the swelling capability of the hydrogel. Comparison of heavy metal adsorption performance between pure PVA hydrogel and optimized OPEFB-g-PVA hydrogel was evaluated by using copper ions solution. The characteristics and structure of the optimized OPEFB-g-PVA hydrogel was studied by using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) while Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) was used to study its thermal stability. The presence of band at 1088 and 1047cm-1 corresponds to C-O was observed as strong evidence of grafting. Water uptake capacity was evaluated and the maximum water absorption capacity was obtained at 180.67 g/g. PVA hydrogel with OPEFB proved to have better copper ion absorbency and thermal properties compared to pure PVA hydrogel.

  5. A reduction of diffusion in PVA Fricke hydrogels

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Smith, S. T.; Masters, K. S.; Hosokawa, K.; Blinco, J.; Crowe, S. B.; Kairn, T.; Trapp, J. V.

    2015-01-01

    A modification to the PVA-FX hydrogel whereby the chelating agent, xylenol orange, was partially bonded to the gelling agent, poly-vinyl alcohol, resulted in an 8% reduction in the post irradiation Fe3+ diffusion, adding approximately 1 hour to the useful timespan between irradiation and readout. This xylenol orange functionalised poly-vinyl alcohol hydrogel had an OD dose sensitivity of 0.014 Gy-1 and a diffusion rate of 0.133 mm2 h-1. As this partial bond yields only incremental improvement, it is proposed that more efficient methods of bonding xylenol orange to poly-vinyl alcohol be investigated to further reduce the diffusion in Fricke gels.

  6. Tribological properties of PVA/PVP blend hydrogels against articular cartilage.

    PubMed

    Kanca, Yusuf; Milner, Piers; Dini, Daniele; Amis, Andrew A

    2018-02-01

    This research investigated in-vitro tribological performance of the articulation of cartilage-on- polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) blend hydrogels using a custom-designed multi-directional wear rig. The hydrogels were prepared by repeated freezing-thawing cycles at different concentrations and PVA to PVP fractions at a given concentration. PVA/PVP blend hydrogels showed low coefficient of friction (COF) values (between 0.12 ± 0.01 and 0.14 ± 0.02) which were closer to the cartilage-on-cartilage articulation (0.03 ± 0.01) compared to the cartilage-on-stainless steel articulation (0.46 ± 0.06). The COF increased with increasing hydrogel concentration (p = 0.03) and decreasing PVP content at a given concentration (p < 0.05). The cartilage-on-hydrogel tests showed only the surface layers of the cartilage being removed (average volume loss of the condyles was 12.5 ± 4.2mm 3 ). However, the hydrogels were found to be worn/deformed. The hydrogels prepared at a higher concentration showed lower apparent volume loss. A strong correlation (R 2 = 0.94) was found between the COF and compressive moduli of the hydrogel groups, resulting from decreasing contact congruency. It was concluded that the hydrogels were promising as hemiarthroplasty materials, but that improved mechanical behaviour was required for clinical use. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Preparation, optimization and property of PVA-HA/PAA composite hydrogel.

    PubMed

    Chen, Kai; Liu, Jinlong; Yang, Xuehui; Zhang, Dekun

    2017-09-01

    PVA-HA/PAA composite hydrogel is prepared by freezing-thawing, PEG dehydration and annealing method. Orthogonal design method is used to choose the optimization combination. Results showed that HA and PVA have the maximum effect on water content. PVA and freezing-thawing cycles have the maximum effect on creep resistance and stress relaxation rate of hydrogel. Annealing temperature and freezing-thawing cycles have the maximum effect on compressive elastic modulus of hydrogel. Comparing with the water content and mechanical properties of 16 kinds of combination, PVA-HA/PAA composite hydrogel with freezing-thawing cycles of 3, annealing temperature of 120°C, PVA of 16%, HA of 2%, PAA of 4% has the optimization comprehensive properties. PVA-HA/PAA composite hydrogel has a porous network structure. There are some interactions between PVA, HA and PAA in hydrogel and the properties of hydrogel are strengthened. The annealing treatment improves the crystalline and crosslinking of hydrogel. Therefore, the annealing PVA-HA/PAA composite hydrogel has good thermostability, strength and mechanical properties. It also has good lubrication property and its friction coefficient is relative low. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Characterization of PVA/glutaraldehyde hydrogels obtained using Central Composite Rotatable Design (CCRD).

    PubMed

    Morandim-Giannetti, Andreia de Araújo; Rubio, Samantha Regina; Nogueira, Regina Freitas; Ortega, Fernando Dos Santos; Magalhães Junior, Octaviano; Schor, Paulo; Bersanetti, Patrícia Alessandra

    2018-05-01

    Hydrogels are made from natural or synthetic polymers and, currently, they have many biomedical applications. In this work, the conditions for obtaining a hydrogel with similar physicochemical characteristics to the vitreous humor were defined using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and glutaraldehyde (GLUT) as cross-linker. The concentration of PVA and GLUT were modified, and their effect was analyzed in terms of the refractive index, density, and dynamic viscosity. The hydrogel which was obtained using 3.98% (w/V) of PVA, 3.13 mL (1.57 g) of GLUT in 100 mL, and the initial pH of 7.2 showed similar characteristics to the vitreous humor (density = 1.0174 ± 0.0050 g mL -1 , dynamic viscosity = 3.7425 ± 0.1800 mPa s and refractive index = 1.3410 ± 0.0010). The hydrogels were further investigated by rheological measurements, infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction and determination of swelling degree. The reticulation with GLUT promoted an increase in viscosity and glass transition temperature. On the other hand, it stimulated a decrease in the swelling degree, crystallinity, melting temperature, and intensity of the band related to the -OH bond, compared with the PVA without reticulation. The reticulated hydrogel displayed Newtonian behavior and a higher apparent viscosity than the PVA. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 106B: 1558-1566, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  9. Effect of glycerol on sustained insulin release from PVA hydrogels and its application in diabetes therapy

    PubMed Central

    Cai, Yunpeng; Che, Junyi; Yuan, Minglu; Shi, Xiaohong; Chen, Wei; Yuan, Wei-En

    2016-01-01

    The present study aimed to investigate the effects of glycerol on the physical properties and release of an insulin-loaded polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel film. The insulin-loaded hydrogel composite film was produced using the freeze-thawing method, after which the in vitro swelling ratio, transmittance and insulin release, and the in vivo pharmacodynamics, of hydrogels containing various volumes of glycerol were investigated. The results demonstrated that the addition of glycerol reduced the swelling ratio and increased the softness of the PVA hydrogel film. An analysis of insulin release in vitro and of the hypoglycemic effects in rats demonstrated that the PVA hydrogel film had a sustained release of insulin and long-acting effect over 10 days. The results of the present study suggested that, as a hydrophilic plasticizer, glycerol was able to enhance the release of insulin in the early stage of release profile by enhancing the formation of water channels, although the total swelling ratio was decreased. Therefore, the insulin-loaded glycerol/PVA hydrogel film may be a promising sustained-release preparation for the treatment of diabetes. PMID:27698690

  10. Solution blowing of chitosan/PVA hydrogel nanofiber mats.

    PubMed

    Liu, Ruifang; Xu, Xianlin; Zhuang, Xupin; Cheng, Bowen

    2014-01-30

    Both nanofiber mats and hydrogel have their own advantages in wound healing. In this study, a novel hydrogel nanofiber mats were fabricated via solution blowing of chitosan and PVA solution, with various content of ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (EGDE) as cross-linker. SEM observation showed that the fibers were several hundred nanometers in diameter with smooth surface and distributed randomly forming three-dimensional mats. The structure of the chitosan/PVA nanofibers was examined by FTIR and XPS, and the results showed that the cross-linking reaction occurred between EGDE and the hydroxyl groups. The mats could quickly hydrate in an aqueous environment to form hydrogel. Their value of equilibrate water absorption varied from 680 to 459% various content of EGDE. The nanofiber mats showed good bactericidal activity against Escherichia coli. The chitosan/PVA hydrogel nanofiber mats showed the combination advantages of nanofibrous mats and hydrogel dressing, and were suggested as potential application in wound healing. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Preparation and characterization of poly(vinyl alcohol)/sodium alginate hydrogel with high toughness and electric conductivity.

    PubMed

    Jiang, Xiancai; Xiang, Nanping; Zhang, Hongxiang; Sun, Yujun; Lin, Zhen; Hou, Linxi

    2018-04-15

    Development of bio-based hydrogels with good mechanical properties and high electrical conductivity is of great importance for their excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability. Novel electrically conducive and tough poly(vinyl alcohol)/sodium alginate (PVA/SA) composite hydrogel was obtained by a simple method in this paper. PVA and SA were firstly dissolved in distilled water to form the composite solution and the pure PVA/SA hydrogel was obtained through the freezing/thawing process. The pure PVA/SA hydrogels were subsequently immersed into the saturated NaCl aqueous solution to increase the gel strength and conductivity. The effect of the immersing time on the thermal and mechanical properties of PVA/SA hydrogel was studied. The swelling properties and the antiseptic properties of the obtained PVA/SA hydrogel were also studied. This paper provided a novel way for the preparation of tough hydrogel electrolyte. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  12. Reentrant behaviour in polyvinyl alcohol-borax hydrogels

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lawrence, Mathias B.; Desa, J. A. E.; Aswal, V. K.

    2018-01-01

    Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogels, cross-linked with varying concentrations of borax, were studied with small angle neutron scattering (SANS), x-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential thermal analysis (DTA). The SANS data satisfy the Ornstein-Zernike approximation. The hydrogels are modelled as PVA chains bound by borate cross-links. Water occupies the spaces within the three-dimensional hydrogel network. The mesh size ξ indicates reentrant behaviour i.e. at first, ξ increases and later decreases as a function of borax concentration. The behaviour is explained on the basis of the balance between the charged di-diol cross-links and the shielding by free ions in the solvent. XRD and DTA show the molecular size of water in the solvent and the glass transition temperature commensurate with reentrant behaviour.

  13. Therapeutic-Ultrasound-Triggered Shape Memory of a Melamine-Enhanced Poly(vinyl alcohol) Physical Hydrogel.

    PubMed

    Li, Guo; Yan, Qiang; Xia, Hesheng; Zhao, Yue

    2015-06-10

    Therapeutic-ultrasound-triggered shape memory was demonstrated for the first time with a melamine-enhanced poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) physical hydrogel. The addition of a small amount of melamine (up to 1.5 wt %) in PVA results in a strong hydrogel due to the multiple H-bonding between the two constituents. A temporary shape of the hydrogel can be obtained by deformation of the hydrogel (∼65 wt % water) at room temperature, followed by fixation of the deformation by freezing/thawing the hydrogel under strain, which induces crystallization of PVA. We show that the ultrasound delivered by a commercially available device designed for the patient's pain relief could trigger the shape recovery process as a result of ultrasound-induced local heating in the hydrogel that melts the crystallized PVA cross-linking. This hydrogel is thus interesting for potential applications because it combines many desirable properties, being mechanically strong, biocompatible, and self-healable and displaying the shape memory capability triggered by a physiological stimulus.

  14. Artificial Auricular Cartilage Using Silk Fibroin and Polyvinyl Alcohol Hydrogel

    PubMed Central

    Lee, Jung Min; Sultan, Md. Tipu; Kim, Soon Hee; Kumar, Vijay; Yeon, Yeung Kyu; Lee, Ok Joo; Park, Chan Hum

    2017-01-01

    Several methods for auricular cartilage engineering use tissue engineering techniques. However, an ideal method for engineering auricular cartilage has not been reported. To address this issue, we developed a strategy to engineer auricular cartilage using silk fibroin (SF) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel. We constructed different hydrogels with various ratios of SF and PVA by using salt leaching, silicone mold casting, and freeze-thawing methods. We characterized each of the hydrogels in terms of the swelling ratio, tensile strength, pore size, thermal properties, morphologies, and chemical properties. Based on the cell viability results, we found a blended hydrogel composed of 50% PVA and 50% SF (P50/S50) to be the best hydrogel among the fabricated hydrogels. An intact 3D ear-shaped auricular cartilage formed six weeks after the subcutaneous implantation of a chondrocyte-seeded 3D ear-shaped P50/S50 hydrogel in rats. We observed mature cartilage with a typical lacunar structure both in vitro and in vivo via histological analysis. This study may have potential applications in auricular tissue engineering with a human ear-shaped hydrogel. PMID:28777314

  15. Analysis of Distribution of Polyvinyl Alcohol Hydrogel Nanocrystalline by using SAXS Synchrotron

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sunaryono; Taufiq, A.; Mufti, N.; Hidayat, N.; Rugmai, S.; Soontaranon, S.; Putra, E. G. R.; Darminto

    2017-05-01

    Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel has been successfully synthesized through freezing-thawing (F-T) process by using time-variation. This work is aimed to investigate the distribution of nanocrystalline from the hydrogel. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy, Differential Thermal Analysis/Thermogravimetric (DTA/TG), and Synchrotron Small-Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) were used as the instruments in characterizing the PVA hydrogel, respectively to observe the frequency of absorption, thermal degradation, and structural dimensions. The functional groups which represent the PVA polymer chains were verified on the wavenumber of 1450-1480 cm-1 and 850-870 cm-1 which is in accordance with the stretching of -CH2 vibration mode. The absorption band of PVA polymer chains was also found on the wavenumber of 1090-1150 cm-1 which is in accordance with the stretching of carboxyl vibration mode (CO), and this wavenumber gave a contribution towards the crystallinity of PVA polymer. Furthermore, the PVA polymer only interacted with the distilled water in the sample of PVA hydrogel without experiencing any chemical interactions between the PVA polymer and other substances. Meanwhile, the graphic of PVA hydrogel thermal degradation shows three thermal decompositions which are indicated by three areas in which there was sample weight loss. The second decomposition with sample weight loss was equivalent to 61.62%-73.04% occurred at the temperature of 282-376 °C which became the highest sample weight loss due to polymer chain degradation. Teubner-Strey and Beaucage models were used to analyze the characterization of structural dimension and distribution of PVA Hydrogel nanocrystalline with SAXS Synchrotron. With a high compatibility between the model data and the experiment, the average structural dimension of PVA hydrogel nanocrystalline is the equivalent of 3.96 nm, with an inter-crystalline average distance of 16.9 nm. These results indicate that PVA hydrogel is very

  16. Polyurethane/poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel coating improves the cytocompatibility of neural electrodes

    PubMed Central

    Li, Mei; Zhou, Hai-han; Li, Tao; Li, Cheng-yan; Xia, Zhong-yuan; Duan, Yanwen Y.

    2015-01-01

    Neural electrodes, the core component of neural prostheses, are usually encapsulated in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). However, PDMS can generate a tissue response after implantation. Based on the physicochemical properties and excellent biocompatibility of polyurethane (PU) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) when used as coating materials, we synthesized PU/PVA hydrogel coatings and coated the surface of PDMS using plasma treatment, and the cytocompatibility to rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells was assessed. Protein adsorption tests indicated that the amount of protein adsorption onto the PDMS substrate was reduced by 92% after coating with the hydrogel. Moreover, the PC12 cells on the PU/PVA-coated PDMS showed higher cell density and longer and more numerous neurites than those on the uncoated PDMS. These results indicate that the PU/PVA hydrogel is cytocompatible and a promising coating material for neural electrodes to improve their biocompatibility. PMID:26889197

  17. Preparation and properties of graphene oxide-regenerated cellulose/polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel with pH-sensitive behavior.

    PubMed

    Rui-Hong, Xie; Peng-Gang, Ren; Jian, Hui; Fang, Ren; Lian-Zhen, Ren; Zhen-Feng, Sun

    2016-03-15

    In this study, graphene oxide reinforced regenerated cellulose/polyvinyl alcohol (GO-RCE/PVA) ternary hydrogels were successfully prepared via a repeated freezing and thawing method in NaOH/urea aqueous solution. The effect of GO content on the mechanical properties, swelling behavior, water content of composite hydrogels was investigated. It was found that the mechanical properties of GO-RCE/PVA ternary hydrogels were largely enhanced relative to RCE/PVA hydrogels. With the addition of 1.0wt% GO, the tensile strength was increased by 40.4% from 0.52MPa to 0.73MPa, accompanied by the increase of the elongation at break (from 103% to 238%). Meanwhile, GO-RCE/PVA ternary hydrogels performed the excellent pH-sensitivity, and the higher pH leaded to higher swelling ratio. With 0.8wt% GO loading, the swelling ratio of GO-RCE/PVA ternary hydrogel was improved from 150% (pH=2) to 310% (pH=14). In addition, a slight increase in the water content of the ternary hydrogel was achieved with increasing concentrations of GO. It is believed that this novel ternary hydrogels is a promising material in the application of biomedical engineering and intelligent devices. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. The composite hydrogels of polyvinyl alcohol-gellan gum-Ca(2+) with improved network structure and mechanical property.

    PubMed

    Wang, Fei; Wen, Ying; Bai, Tongchun

    2016-12-01

    The composite hydrogels of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and gellan gum (GG) are of interesting in the biomaterials application. To improve the structure and mechanical property, in this work, Ca(2+) ion was introduced to crosslink the polymer chain, and the PVA-GG-Ca(2+) hydrogel was formed. By analyzing its structure, mechanical properties, swelling and dehydration kinetics, the effect of molecular interaction on hydrogel structure and properties have been observed. Our result indicates that, as GG is added to hydrogel network, the role of Ca(2+) ion is stand out, it reorganizes the network structure, enhances the mechanical properties, and strengthens the electrolytic and hydrogen bonding interactions in PVA-GG-Ca(2+) hydrogels. These observations will benefit the development of hydrogels in biomaterials application. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  19. High performances of dual network PVA hydrogel modified by PVP using borax as the structure-forming accelerator

    PubMed Central

    Huang, Min; Hou, Yi; Li, Yubao; Wang, Danqing; Zhang, Li

    2017-01-01

    Abstract A dual network hydrogel made up of polyvinylalcohol (PVA) crosslinked by borax and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) was prepared by means of freezing-thawing circles. Here PVP was incorporated by linking with PVA to form a network structure, while the introduction of borax played the role of crosslinking PVA chains to accelerate the formation of a dual network structure in PVA/PVP composite hydrogel, thus endowing the hydrogel with high mechanical properties. The effects of both PVP and borax on the hydrogels were evaluated by comparing the two systems of PVA/PVP/borax and PVA/borax hydrogels. In the former system, adding 4.0% PVP not only increased the water content and the storage modulus but also enhanced the mechanical strength of the final hydrogel. But an overdose of PVP just as more than 4.0% tended to undermine the structure of hydrogels, and thus deteriorated hydrogels’ properties because of the weakened secondary interaction between PVP and PVA. Likewise, increasing borax could promote the gel crosslinking degree, thus making gels show a decrease in water content and swelling ratio, meanwhile shrinking the pores inside the hydrogels and finally enhancing the mechanical strength of hydrogels prominently. The developed hydrogel with high performances holds great potential for applications in biomedical and industrial fields. PMID:29491822

  20. Polyvinyl alcohol hydrogels for iontohporesis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bera, Prasanta; Alam, Asif Ali; Arora, Neha; Tibarewala, Dewaki Nandan; Basak, Piyali

    2013-06-01

    Transdermal therapeutic systems propound controlled release of active ingredients through the skin into the systemic circulation in a predictive manner. Drugs administered through these systems escape first-pass metabolism and maintain a steady state scenario similar to a continuous intravenous infusion for up to several days. The iontophoresis deal with the systemic delivery of the bioactive agents (drug) by applying an electric current. It is basically an injection without the needle. The iontophoretic system requires a gel-based matrix to accommodate the bioactive agent. Hydrogels have been used by many investigators in controlled-release drug delivery systems because of their good tissue compatibility and easy manipulation of swelling level and, thereby, solute permeability. In this work we have prepared polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel. We have cross linked polyvinyl alcohol chemically with Glutaraldehyde with different wt%. FTIR study reveals the chemical changes during cross linking. Swelling in water, is done to have an idea about drug loading and drug release from the membrane. After drug loading to the hydrogels, we have studied the drug release property of the hydrogels using salicylic acid as a model drug.

  1. Synthesis and Properties of pH-, Thermo-, and Salt-Sensitive Modified Poly(aspartic acid)/Poly(vinyl alcohol) IPN Hydrogel and Its Drug Controlled Release.

    PubMed

    Lu, Jingqiong; Li, Yinhui; Hu, Deng; Chen, Xiaoling; Liu, Yongmei; Wang, Liping; Zhao, Yansheng

    2015-01-01

    Modified poly(aspartic acid)/poly(vinyl alcohol) interpenetrating polymer network (KPAsp/PVA IPN) hydrogel for drug controlled release was synthesized by a simple one-step method in aqueous system using poly(aspartic acid) grafting 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (KH-550) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) as materials. The hydrogel surface morphology and composition were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The thermal stability was analyzed by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The swelling properties and pH, temperature, and salt sensitivities of KPAsp, KPAsp/PVA semi-interpenetrating polymer network (semi-IPN), and KPAsp/PVA IPN hydrogels were also investigated. All of the three hydrogels showed ampholytic pH-responsive properties, and swelling behavior was also extremely sensitive to the temperature, ionic strength, and cationic species. Finally, the drug controlled release properties of the three hydrogels were evaluated and results indicated that three hydrogels could control drug release by external surroundings stimuli. The drug controlled release properties of KPAsp/PVA IPN hydrogel are the most outstanding, and the correlative measured release profiles of salicylic acid at 37°C were 32.6 wt% at pH = 1.2 (simulated gastric fluid) and 62.5 wt% at pH = 7.4 (simulated intestinal fluid), respectively. These results indicated that KPAsp/PVA IPN hydrogels are a promising carrier system for controlled drug delivery.

  2. Wide-range stiffness gradient PVA/HA hydrogel to investigate stem cell differentiation behavior.

    PubMed

    Oh, Se Heang; An, Dan Bi; Kim, Tae Ho; Lee, Jin Ho

    2016-04-15

    Although stiffness-controllable substrates have been developed to investigate the effect of stiffness on cell behavior and function, the use of separate substrates with different degrees of stiffness, substrates with a narrow range stiffness gradient, toxicity of residues, different surface composition, complex fabrication procedures/devices, and low cell adhesion are still considered as hurdles of conventional techniques. In this study, a cylindrical polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogel with a wide-range stiffness gradient (between ∼20kPa and ∼200kPa) and cell adhesiveness was prepared by a liquid nitrogen (LN2)-contacting gradual freezing-thawing method that does not use any additives or specific devices to produce the stiffness gradient hydrogel. From an in vitro cell culture using the stiffness gradient PVA/HA hydrogel, it was observed that human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells have favorable stiffness ranges for induction of differentiation into specific cell types (∼20kPa for nerve cell, ∼40kPa for muscle cell, ∼80kPa for chondrocyte, and ∼190kPa for osteoblast). The PVA/HA hydrogel with a wide range of stiffness spectrum can be a useful tool for basic studies related with the stem cell differentiation, cell reprogramming, cell migration, and tissue regeneration in terms of substrate stiffness. It is postulated that the stiffness of the extracellular matrix influences cell behavior. To prove this concept, various techniques to prepare substrates with a stiffness gradient have been developed. However, the narrow ranges of stiffness gradient and complex fabrication procedures/devices are still remained as limitations. Herein, we develop a substrate (hydrogel) with a wide-range stiffness gradient using a gradual freezing-thawing method which does not need specific devices to produce a stiffness gradient hydrogel. From cell culture experiments using the hydrogel, it is observed that human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells have

  3. An evaluation of the thermal and mechanical properties of a salt-modified polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel for a knee meniscus application.

    PubMed

    Curley, Colin; Hayes, Jennifer C; Rowan, Neil J; Kennedy, James E

    2014-12-01

    The treatment of irreparable knee meniscus tears remains a major challenge for the orthopaedic community. The main purpose of this research was to analyse the mechanical properties and thermal behaviour of a salt-modified polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel, in order to assess its potential for use as an artificial meniscal implant. Aqueous poly vinyl alcohol was treated with a sodium sulphate solution to precipitate out the polyvinyl alcohol resulting in a pliable hydrogel. The freeze-thaw process, a strictly physical method of crosslinking, was employed to crosslink the hydrogel. Physical crosslinks in the form of crystalline regions were induced within the hydrogel structure which resulted in a large increase in mechanical resistance. Results showed that the optimal sodium sulphate addition of 6.6% (w/v) Na2SO4 in 8.33% (w/v) PVA causes the PVA to precipitate out of its solution. The effect of multiple freeze thaw cycles was also investigated. Investigation comprised of a variety of well-established characterisation techniques such as differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), mechanical analysis, rheometry and swelling studies. DSC analysis showed that samples cross-linked using the freeze thaw process display a thermal shift due to increased crosslink density. FTIR analysis confirmed crystallisation is present at 1142cm(-1) and also showed that no chemical alteration occurs when PVA is treated with sodium sulphate. Swelling studies indicated that that PVA/sodium sulphate hydrogels absorb less water than untreated hydrogels due to increased amounts of PVA present. Compressive strength analysis of PVA/sodium sulphate hydrogels prepared at -80°C displayed average maximum loads of 2472N, 2482.4N and 2476N of over 1, 3 and 5 freeze thaw cycles respectively. Mechanical analysis of the hydrogel indicated that the material is thermally stable and resistant to breakdown by compressive force. These properties are crucial for

  4. In vivo evaluation of the bone integration of coated poly(vinyl-alcohol) hydrogel fiber implants.

    PubMed

    Moreau, David; Villain, Arthur; Bachy, Manon; Proudhon, Henry; Ku, David N; Hannouche, Didier; Petite, Hervé; Corté, Laurent

    2017-08-01

    Recently, it has been shown that constructs of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogel fibers reproduce closely the tensile behavior of ligaments. However, the biological response to these systems has not been explored yet. Here, we report the first in vivo evaluation of these implants and focus on the integration in bone, using a rabbit model of bone tunnel healing. Implants consisted in bundles of PVA hydrogel fibers embedded in a PVA hydrogel matrix. Half of the samples were coated with a composite coating of hydroxyapatite (HA) particles embedded in PVA hydrogel. The biological integration was evaluated at 6 weeks using histology and micro-CT imaging. For all implants, a good biological tolerance and growth of new bone tissue are reported. All the implants were surrounded by a fibrous layer comparable to what was previously observed for poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fibers currently used in humans for ligament reconstruction. An image analysis method is proposed to quantify the thickness of this fibrous capsule. Implants coated with HA were not significantly osteoconductive, which can be attributed to the slow dissolution of the selected hydroxyapatite. Overall, these results confirm the relevance of PVA hydrogel fibers for ligament reconstruction and adjustments are proposed to enhance its osseointegration.

  5. Research on torsional friction behavior and fluid load support of PVA/HA composite hydrogel.

    PubMed

    Chen, Kai; Zhang, Dekun; Yang, Xuehui; Cui, Xiaotong; Zhang, Xin; Wang, Qingliang

    2016-09-01

    Hydrogels have been extensively studied for use as synthetic articular cartilage. This study aimed to investigate (1) the torsional friction contact state and the transformation mechanism of PVA/HA composite hydrogel against CoCrMo femoral head and (2) effects of load and torsional angle on torsional friction behavior. The finite element method was used to study fluid load support of PVA/HA composite hydrogel. Results show fluid loss increases gradually of PVA/HA composite hydrogel with torsional friction time, leading to fluid load support decreases. The contact state changes from full slip state to stick-slip mixed state. As the load increases, friction coefficient and adhesion zone increase gradually. As the torsional angle increases, friction coefficient and slip trend of the contact interface increase, resulting in the increase of the slip zone and the reduction of the adhesion zone. Fluid loss increases of PVA/HA composite hydrogel as the load and the torsional angle increase, which causes the decrease of fluid load support and the increase of friction coefficient. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. PVA-chitosan composite hydrogel versus alginate beads as a potential mesenchymal stem cell carrier for the treatment of focal cartilage defects.

    PubMed

    Dashtdar, Havva; Murali, Malliga Raman; Abbas, Azlina Amir; Suhaeb, Abdulrazzaq Mahmod; Selvaratnam, Lakshmi; Tay, Liang Xin; Kamarul, Tunku

    2015-05-01

    To investigate whether mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) seeded in novel polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-chitosan composite hydrogel can provide comparable or even further improve cartilage repair outcomes as compared to previously established alginate-transplanted models. Medial femoral condyle defect was created in both knees of twenty-four mature New Zealand white rabbits, and the animals were divided into four groups containing six animals each. After 3 weeks, the right knees were transplanted with PVA-chitosan-MSC, PVA-chitosan scaffold alone, alginate-MSC construct or alginate alone. The left knee was kept as untreated control. Animals were killed at the end of 6 months after transplantation, and the cartilage repair was assessed through Brittberg morphological score, histological grading by O'Driscoll score and quantitative glycosaminoglycan analysis. Morphological and histological analyses showed significant (p < 0.05) tissue repair when treated with PVA-chitosan-MSC or alginate MSC as compared to the scaffold only and untreated control. In addition, safranin O staining and the glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in MSC treatment groups than in scaffold-only or untreated control group. No significant difference was observed between the PVA-chitosan-MSC- and alginate-MSC-treated groups. PVA-chitosan hydrogel seeded with mesenchymal stem cells provides comparable treatment outcomes to that of previously established alginate-MSC construct implantation. This study supports the potential use of PVA-chitosan hydrogel seeded with MSCs for clinical use in cartilage repair such as traumatic injuries.

  7. Accelerated in vitro release testing of implantable PLGA microsphere/PVA hydrogel composite coatings

    PubMed Central

    Shen, Jie; Burgess, Diane J.

    2011-01-01

    Dexamethasone loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microsphere/PVA hydrogel composites have been investigated as an outer drug-eluting coating for implantable devices such as glucose sensors to counter negative tissue responses to implants. The objective of this study was to develop a discriminatory, accelerated in vitro release testing method for this drug-eluting coating using United States Pharmacopeia (USP) apparatus 4. Polymer degradation and drug release kinetics were investigated under “real-time” and accelerated conditions (i.e. extreme pH, hydro-alcoholic solutions and elevated temperatures). Compared to “real-time” conditions, the initial burst and lag phases were similar using hydro-alcoholic solutions and extreme pH conditions, while the secondary apparent zero-order release phase was slightly accelerated. Elevated temperatures resulted in a significant acceleration of dexamethasone release. The accelerated release data were able to predict “real-time” release when applying the Arrhenius equation. Microsphere batches with faster and slower release profiles were investigated under “real-time” and elevated temperature (60°C) conditions to determine the discriminatory ability of the method. The results demonstrated both the feasibility and the discriminatory ability of this USP apparatus 4 method for in vitro release testing of drug loaded PLGA microsphere/PVA hydrogel composites. This method may be appropriate for similar drug/device combination products and drug delivery systems. PMID:22016033

  8. Accelerated in vitro release testing of implantable PLGA microsphere/PVA hydrogel composite coatings.

    PubMed

    Shen, Jie; Burgess, Diane J

    2012-01-17

    Dexamethasone loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microsphere/PVA hydrogel composites have been investigated as an outer drug-eluting coating for implantable devices such as glucose sensors to counter negative tissue responses to implants. The objective of this study was to develop a discriminatory, accelerated in vitro release testing method for this drug-eluting coating using United States Pharmacopeia (USP) apparatus 4. Polymer degradation and drug release kinetics were investigated under "real-time" and accelerated conditions (i.e. extreme pH, hydro-alcoholic solutions and elevated temperatures). Compared to "real-time" conditions, the initial burst and lag phases were similar using hydro-alcoholic solutions and extreme pH conditions, while the secondary apparent zero-order release phase was slightly accelerated. Elevated temperatures resulted in a significant acceleration of dexamethasone release. The accelerated release data were able to predict "real-time" release when applying the Arrhenius equation. Microsphere batches with faster and slower release profiles were investigated under "real-time" and elevated temperature (60°C) conditions to determine the discriminatory ability of the method. The results demonstrated both the feasibility and the discriminatory ability of this USP apparatus 4 method for in vitro release testing of drug loaded PLGA microsphere/PVA hydrogel composites. This method may be appropriate for similar drug/device combination products and drug delivery systems. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Coating gigaporous polystyrene microspheres with cross-linked poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel as a rapid protein chromatography matrix.

    PubMed

    Qu, Jian-Bo; Huan, Guan-Sheng; Chen, Yan-Li; Zhou, Wei-Qing; Liu, Jian-Guo; Huang, Fang

    2014-08-13

    Gigaporous polystyrene (PS) microspheres were hydrophilized by in situ polymerization to give a stable cross-linked poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogel coating, which can shield proteins from the hydrophobic PS surface underneath. The amination of microspheres (PS-NH2) was first carried out through acetylization, oximation and reduction, and then 4,4'-azobis (4-cyanovaleric acid) (ACV), a polymerization initiator, was covalently immobilized on PS-NH2 through amide bond formation, and the cross-linked poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) was prepared by radical polymerization at the surfaces of ACV-immobilized PS microspheres (PS-ACV). Finally, the cross-linked PVA hydrogel coated gigaporous PS microspheres (PS-PVA) was easily achieved through alcoholysis of PVAc. Results suggested that the PS microspheres were effectively coated with cross-linked PVA hydrogel, where the gigaporrous structure remained under optimal conditions. After hydrophilic modification (PS-PVA), the protein-resistant ability of microspheres was greatly improved. The hydroxyl-rich PS-PVA surface can be easily derivatized by classical chemical methods. Performance advantages of the PS-PVA column in flow experiment include good permeability, low backpressure, and mechanical stability. These results indicated that PS-PVA should be promising in rapid protein chromatography.

  10. In situ synthesis of bilayered gradient poly(vinyl alcohol)/hydroxyapatite composite hydrogel by directional freezing-thawing and electrophoresis method.

    PubMed

    Su, Cui; Su, Yunlan; Li, Zhiyong; Haq, Muhammad Abdul; Zhou, Yong; Wang, Dujin

    2017-08-01

    Bilayered poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/hydroxyapatite (HA) composite hydrogels with anisotropic and gradient mechanical properties were prepared by the combination of directional freezing-thawing (DFT) and electrophoresis method. Firstly, PVA hydrogels with aligned channel structure were prepared by the DFT method. Then, HA nanoparticles were in situ synthesized within the PVA hydrogels via electrophoresis. By controlling the time of the electrophoresis process, a bilayered gradient hydrogel containing HA particles in only half of the gel region was obtained. The PVA/HA composite hydrogel exhibited gradient mechanical strength depending on the distance to the cathode. The gradient initial tensile modulus ranging from 0.18MPa to 0.27MPa and the gradient initial compressive modulus from 0.33MPa to 0.51MPa were achieved. The binding strength of the two regions was relatively high and no apparent internal stress or defect was observed at the boundary. The two regions of the bilayered hydrogel also showed different osteoblast cell adhesion properties. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Cellulose nanofibers reinforced sodium alginate-polyvinyl alcohol hydrogels: Core-shell structure formation and property characterization.

    PubMed

    Yue, Yiying; Han, Jingquan; Han, Guangping; French, Alfred D; Qi, Yadong; Wu, Qinglin

    2016-08-20

    Core-shell structured hydrogels consisting of a flexible interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) core and a rigid semi-IPN shell were prepared through chemical crosslinking of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and sodium alginate (SA) with Ca(2+) and glutaraldehyde. Short cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) extracted from energycane bagasse were incorporated in the hydrogel. The shell was micro-porous and the core was macro-porous. The hydrogels could be used in multiple adsorption-desorption cycles for dyes, and the maximum methyl blue adsorption capacity had a 10% increase after incorporating CNFs. The homogeneous distribution of CNFs in PVA-SA matrix generated additional hydrogen bonds among the polymer molecular chains, resulting in enhanced density, viscoelasticity, and mechanical strength for the hydrogel. Specifically, the compressive strength of the hydrogel reached 79.5kPa, 3.2 times higher than that of the neat hydrogel. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Cold Spray Coating of Submicronic Ceramic Particles on Poly(vinyl alcohol) in Dry and Hydrogel States

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moreau, David; Borit, François; Corté, Laurent; Guipont, Vincent

    2017-06-01

    We report an approach using cold spray technology to coat poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) in polymer and hydrogel states with hydroxyapatite (HA). Using porous aggregated HA powder, we hypothesized that fragmentation of the powder upon cold spray could lead to formation of a ceramic coating on the surface of the PVA substrate. However, direct spraying of this powder led to complete destruction of the swollen PVA hydrogel substrate. As an alternative, HA coatings were successfully produced by spraying onto dry PVA substrates prior to swelling in water. Dense homogeneous HA coatings composed of submicron particles were obtained using rather low-energy spraying parameters (temperature 200-250 °C, pressure 1-3 MPa). Coated PVA substrates could swell in water without removal of the ceramic layer to form HA-coated hydrogels. Microscopic observations and in situ measurements were used to explain how local heating and impact of sprayed aggregates induced surface roughening and strong binding of HA particles to the molten PVA substrate. Such an approach could lead to design of ceramic coatings whose roughness and crystallinity can be finely adjusted to improve interfacing with biological tissues.

  13. Functionalized graphene oxide quantum dot-PVA hydrogel: a colorimetric sensor for Fe2+, Co2+ and Cu2+ ions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Baruah, Upama; Chowdhury, Devasish

    2016-04-01

    Functionalized graphene oxide quantum dots (GOQDs)-poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hybrid hydrogels were prepared using a simple, facile and cost-effective strategy. GOQDs bearing different surface functional groups were introduced as the cross-linking agent into the PVA matrix thereby resulting in gelation. The four different types of hybrid hydrogels were prepared using graphene oxide, reduced graphene oxide, ester functionalized graphene oxide and amine functionalized GOQDs as cross-linking agents. It was observed that the hybrid hydrogel prepared with amine functionalized GOQDs was the most stable. The potential applicability of using this solid sensing platform has been subsequently explored in an easy, simple, effective and sensitive method for optical detection of M2+ (Fe2+, Co2+ and Cu2+) in aqueous media involving colorimetric detection. Amine functionalized GOQDs-PVA hybrid hydrogel when put into the corresponding solution of Fe2+, Co2+ and Cu2+ renders brown, orange and blue coloration respectively of the solution detecting the presence of Fe2+, Co2+ and Cu2+ ions in the solution. The minimum detection limit observed was 1 × 10-7 M using UV-visible spectroscopy. Further, the applicability of the sensing material was also tested for a mixture of co-existing ions in solution to demonstrate the practical applicability of the system. Insight into the probable mechanistic pathway involved in the detection process is also being discussed.

  14. Near-Infrared Light-Sensitive Polyvinyl Alcohol Hydrogel Photoresist for Spatiotemporal Control of Cell-Instructive 3D Microenvironments.

    PubMed

    Qin, Xiao-Hua; Wang, Xiaopu; Rottmar, Markus; Nelson, Bradley J; Maniura-Weber, Katharina

    2018-03-01

    Advanced hydrogel systems that allow precise control of cells and their 3D microenvironments are needed in tissue engineering, disease modeling, and drug screening. Multiphoton lithography (MPL) allows true 3D microfabrication of complex objects, but its biological application requires a cell-compatible hydrogel resist that is sufficiently photosensitive, cell-degradable, and permissive to support 3D cell growth. Here, an extremely photosensitive cell-responsive hydrogel composed of peptide-crosslinked polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is designed to expand the biological applications of MPL. PVA hydrogels are formed rapidly by ultraviolet light within 1 min in the presence of cells, providing fully synthetic matrices that are instructive for cell-matrix remodeling, multicellular morphogenesis, and protease-mediated cell invasion. By focusing a multiphoton laser into a cell-laden PVA hydrogel, cell-instructive extracellular cues are site-specifically attached to the PVA matrix. Cell invasion is thus precisely guided in 3D with micrometer-scale spatial resolution. This robust hydrogel enables, for the first time, ultrafast MPL of cell-responsive synthetic matrices at writing speeds up to 50 mm s -1 . This approach should enable facile photochemical construction and manipulation of 3D cellular microenvironments with unprecedented flexibility and precision. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  15. Development and Evaluation of Polyvinyl Alcohol-Hydrogels as an Artificial Atrticular Cartilage for Orthopedic Implants

    PubMed Central

    Kobayashi, Masanori; Hyu, Hyon Suong

    2010-01-01

    Due to its excellent biocompatibility and mechanical properties, various different applications of polyvinyl alcohol-hydrogels (PVA-H) has been attempted in many fields. In the field of orthopedic surgery, we have been engaged for long time in research on the clinical applications of PVA-H as a artificial cartilage, and have performed many basic experiments on the mechanical properties, synthesis of PVA-H, and developed orthopedic implants using PVA-H. From these studies, many applications of artificial articular cartilage, intervertbral disc and artificial meniscus etc. have been developed. This review will present the overview of the applications and recent advances of PVA-H cartilages, and discuss clinical potential of PVA-H for orthopedics implant.

  16. Lipogels: surface-adherent composite hydrogels assembled from poly(vinyl alcohol) and liposomes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jensen, Bettina E. B.; Hosta-Rigau, Leticia; Spycher, Philipp R.; Reimhult, Erik; Städler, Brigitte; Zelikin, Alexander N.

    2013-07-01

    Drug-eluting engineered surface coatings are of paramount importance for many biomedical applications from implantable devices to tissue engineering. Herein, we present the assembly of lipogels, composite physical hydrogels assembled from poly(vinyl alcohol) and liposomes using thiol-disulfide exchange between end group modified PVA and thiocholesterol containing liposomes, and the response of adhering cells to these coatings. We demonstrate the controlled loading of liposomes into the polymer matrix and the preserved mechanical properties of the lipogels. Furthermore, the lipogels are successfully rendered cell adhesive by incorporation of poly(l-lysine) into the PVA polymer matrix or by poly(dopamine) coating of the lipogels. The successful lipid uptake from the lipogels by macrophages, hepatocytes, and myoblasts was monitored by flow cytometry. Finally, the delivery of active cargo, paclitaxel, to adherent myoblasts is shown, thus illustrating the potential of the lipogels as a drug eluting interface for biomedical applications.Drug-eluting engineered surface coatings are of paramount importance for many biomedical applications from implantable devices to tissue engineering. Herein, we present the assembly of lipogels, composite physical hydrogels assembled from poly(vinyl alcohol) and liposomes using thiol-disulfide exchange between end group modified PVA and thiocholesterol containing liposomes, and the response of adhering cells to these coatings. We demonstrate the controlled loading of liposomes into the polymer matrix and the preserved mechanical properties of the lipogels. Furthermore, the lipogels are successfully rendered cell adhesive by incorporation of poly(l-lysine) into the PVA polymer matrix or by poly(dopamine) coating of the lipogels. The successful lipid uptake from the lipogels by macrophages, hepatocytes, and myoblasts was monitored by flow cytometry. Finally, the delivery of active cargo, paclitaxel, to adherent myoblasts is shown, thus

  17. Effect of freeze-thawing conditions for preparation of chitosan-poly (vinyl alcohol) hydrogels and drug release studies.

    PubMed

    Figueroa-Pizano, M D; Vélaz, I; Peñas, F J; Zavala-Rivera, P; Rosas-Durazo, A J; Maldonado-Arce, A D; Martínez-Barbosa, M E

    2018-09-01

    The freezing-thawing is an advantageous method to produce hydrogels without crosslinking agents. In this study chitosan-poly(vinyl alcohol) (CS-PVA) hydrogels were prepared by varying the freezing conditions and composition, which affect the final characteristics of the products. The swelling degree, morphology, porosity, and diflunisal drug loading, as well as the drug release profiles were evaluated. The hydrogel swelling ratio was found to be mainly affected by the CS content, the number of freezing cycles and the temperature. SEM micrographs and porosity data confirm that pore size increases with the chitosan content. However, the use of either lower temperatures or longer freezing times, results in higher porosity and smaller pores. The drug release times of the CS-PVA hydrogels were as long as 30 h, and according to the mathematical fitting, a simple diffusion mechanism dominates the process. Moreover, a mathematical model predicting the hydrogels physical and structural behavior is proposed. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Role of natural polysaccharides in radiation formation of PVA hydrogel wound dressing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Varshney, Lalit

    2007-02-01

    Radiation processed PVA-polysaccharides hydrogels have been observed to be suitable for producing transparent, flexible, mechanically strong, biocompatible, effective and economical hydrogel dressings. The dressings were formed in single stage irradiation process achieving gel formation and sterilization at 25-30 kGy gamma radiation dose. No synthetic plasticizers and additives were used. Different formulations containing poly-vinylalcohol (PVA) and polysaccharides selected from combinations of agar and carrageenan were used to make the dressings. The selected polysaccharides themselves form thermo-reversible gels and degrade on irradiation. Using concentration of polysaccharides as low as 0.5-2% resulted in increase of tensile strength from 45 g/cm 2 to 411 g/cm 2, elongation from 30% to 410% and water uptake from 25% to 157% with respect to PVA gel without polysaccharides. Besides improving mechanical strength, agar contributes more to elongation and carrageenan to mechanical strength of the gel dressing. PVA formulations containing the polysaccharides show significantly different pre-gel viscosities behaviour. Increasing the concentration of agar in the formulation to about 2% converts the sheet gel to paste gel useful for filling wound cavities. The results indicate that pre irradiation network structure of the formulation plays an important role in determining mechanical properties of the irradiated gel dressing. Formulations containing 7-9% PVA, 0.5-1.5% carrageenan and 0.5-1% agar gave highly effective usable hydrogel dressings. Scanning electron micrographs show highly porous structure of the gel. Clinical trials of wound dressing on human patients established safety and efficacy of the dressing. The dressing has been observed to be useful in treating burns, non-healing ulcers of diabetes, leprosy and other external wounds. The dressings are now being marketed in India under different brand names.

  19. Poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel coatings with tunable surface exposure of hydroxyapatite

    PubMed Central

    Moreau, David; Villain, Arthur; Ku, David N; Corté, Laurent

    2014-01-01

    Insufficient bone anchoring is a major limitation of artificial substitutes for connective osteoarticular tissues. The use of coatings containing osseoconductive ceramic particles is one of the actively explored strategies to improve osseointegration and strengthen the bone-implant interface for general tissue engineering. Our hypothesis is that hydroxyapatite (HA) particles can be coated robustly on specific assemblies of PVA hydrogel fibers for the potential anchoring of ligament replacements. A simple dip-coating method is described to produce composite coatings made of microscopic hydroxyapatite (HA) particles dispersed in a poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) matrix. The materials are compatible with the requirements for implant Good Manufacturing Practices. They are applied to coat bundles of PVA hydrogel fibers used for the development of ligament implants. By means of optical and electronic microscopy, we show that the coating thickness and surface state can be adjusted by varying the composition of the dipping solution. Quantitative analysis based on backscattered electron microscopy show that the exposure of HA at the coating surface can be tuned from 0 to over 55% by decreasing the weight ratio of PVA over HA from 0.4 to 0.1. Abrasion experiments simulating bone-implant contact illustrate how the coating cohesion and wear resistance increase by increasing the content of PVA relative to HA. Using pullout experiments, we find that these coatings adhere well to the fiber bundles and detach by propagation of a crack inside the coating. These results provide a guide to select coated implants for anchoring artificial ligaments. PMID:25482413

  20. Laponite crosslinked starch/polyvinyl alcohol hydrogels by freezing/thawing process and studying their cadmium ion absorption.

    PubMed

    Yu, Chen; Tang, Xiaozhi; Liu, Shaowei; Yang, Yuling; Shen, Xinchun; Gao, Chengcheng

    2018-05-22

    In this study, Laponite RD (LRD) cross-linked hydrogels consisting of starch, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) were prepared by freezing/thawing process and the influence of LRD content on structure and properties of hydrogels was investigated. FTIR showed a new structure of hydrogen bonding might result from cross-linking reactions between LRD and polymers. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed that high degree of exfoliation of LRD clay layers had occurred during the preparation of hydrogels. The synergistic effect of physical cross-linking by freeze/thaw cycles and by LRD led to more porous, uniform and stable network, which was shown in SEM images. The melting temperature decreased and thermal stability got improved with the increase of LRD content. Reswelling ratios of hydrogels had the highest value when LRD content was 10%. Additionally, cadmium ion absorption capacity of the hydrogel was studied and the results showed that increasing the concentration of LRD increased absorption ratio and amount of Cd 2+ ion in the solution. In a word, LRD could be used as a physical crosslinker and reinforced agent for starch-PVA based hydrogels and the formed hydrogels could be used as novel type and high capacity absorbent materials in heavy metal removing processes. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  1. The Novelty in Fabrication of Poly Vinyl Alcohol/κ-Carrageenan Hydrogel with Lactobacillus bulgaricus Extract as Anti-inflammatory Wound Dressing Agent.

    PubMed

    El-Fawal, Gomaa F; Yassin, Abdelrahman M; El-Deeb, Nehal M

    2017-07-01

    Material barrier properties to microbes are an important issue in many pharmaceutical applications like wound dressings. A wide range of biomaterials has been used to manage the chronic inflamed wounds. Eight hydrogel membranes of poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) with κ-carrageenan (KC) and Lactobacillus bulgaricus extract (LAB) have been prepared by using freeze-thawing technique. To evaluate the membranes efficiency as wound dressing agents, various tests have been done like gel fraction, swelling behavior, mechanical properties, etc. The antibacterial activities of the prepared membranes were tested against the antibiotic-resistant bacterial isolates. In addition, the safety usage of the prepared hydrogel was checked on human dermal fibroblast cells. The anti-inflammatory properties of the prepared hydrogel on LPS-PBMC cell inflammatory model were quantified using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The analysis data of TGA, SEM, gel fraction, and swelling behavior showed changes in properties of prepared PVA\\KC\\LAB hydrogel membrane than pure PVA hydrogel membrane. The antibacterial activities of the prepared membranes augmented in LAB extract-prepared membranes. Out of the eight used hydrogel membranes, the PVAKC4 hydrogel membrane is the safest one on fibroblast cellular proliferation with a maximum proliferation percentage 97.3%. Also, all the used hydrogel membrane showed abilities to reduce the concentration of IL-2 and IL-8 compared with both negative and positive control. In addition, almost all the prepared hydrogel membrane showed variable abilities to downregulate the expression of TNF-α gene with superior effect of hydrogel membrane KC1. PVA/KC/LAB extract hydrogel membrane may be a promising material for wound dressing application and could accelerate the healing process of the chronic wound because of its antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties.

  2. Measurements of Dynamic Viscoelasticity of Poly (vinyl alcohol) Hydrogel for the Development of Blood Vessel Biomodeling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kosukegawa, Hiroyuki; Mamada, Keisuke; Kuroki, Kanju; Liu, Lei; Inoue, Kosuke; Hayase, Toshiyuki; Ohta, Makoto

    In vitro blood vessel biomodeling with realistic mechanical properties and geometrical structures is helpful for training in surgical procedures, especial those used in endovascular treatment. Poly (vinyl alcohol) hydrogel (PVA-H), which is made of Poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and water, may be useful as a material for blood vessel biomodeling due to its low surface friction resistance and good transparency. In order to simulate the mechanical properties of blood vessels, measurements of mechanical properties of PVA-H were carried out with a dynamic mechanical analyzer, and the storage modulus (G’) and loss modulus (G”) of PVA-H were obtained. PVA-Hs were prepared by the low-temperature crystallization method. They were made of PVA with various concentrations (C) and degrees of polymerization (DP), and made by blending two kinds of PVA having different DP or saponification values (SV). The G’ and G” of PVA-H increased, as the C or DP of PVA increased, or as the proportion of PVA with higher DP or SV increased. These results indicate that it is possible to obtain PVA-H with desirable dynamic viscoelasticity. Furthermore, it is suggested that PVA-H is stable in the temperature range of 0°C to 40°C, indicating that biomodeling made of PVA-H should be available at 37°C, the physiological temperature. The dynamic viscoelasticity of PVA-H obtained was similar to that of the dog blood vessel measured in previous reports. In conclusion, PVA-H is suggested to be useful as a material of blood vessel biomodeling.

  3. Synthesis and properties of hemicelluloses-based semi-IPN hydrogels.

    PubMed

    Peng, Feng; Guan, Ying; Zhang, Bing; Bian, Jing; Ren, Jun-Li; Yao, Chun-Li; Sun, Run-Cang

    2014-04-01

    Hemicelluloses were extracted from holocellulose of bamboo by alkaline treatment. The phosphorylated poly(vinyl alcohol) (P-PVA) samples with various substitution degrees were prepared through the esterification of PVA and phosphoric acid. A series of hydrogels of semi-interpenetrating polymeric networks (semi-IPN) composed of hemicelluloses-g-poly(acrylic acid) (HM-g-PAA) and the phosphorylated poly(vinyl alcohol) (P-PVA) were prepared by radical polymerization using potassium persulphate (KPS) as initiator. The HM-g-PAA networks were crosslinked by N,N-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) as a crosslinking agent in the presence of linear P-PVA. FT-IR results confirmed that the hydrogels comprised a porous crosslink structure of P-PVA and HM with side chains that carried carboxylate and phosphorylate groups. SEM observations indicated that the incorporation of P-PVA induced highly porous structure, and P-PVA was uniformly dispersed in the polymeric network. The interior network structures of the semi-IPN matrix became more porous with increasing P-PVA. The TGA results showed that the thermo-decomposing temperature and thermal stability were increased effectively for intruding the chain of P-PVA. The maximum equilibrium swelling ratio of hydrogels in distilled water and 0.9 wt% sodium chloride solutions was up to 1085 g g(-1) and 87 g g(-1), respectively. The compressive strength increased with increasing the MBA/HM and P-PVA/HM ratios, and decreased with the increment of AA/HM ratio. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Cell proliferation on PVA/sodium alginate and PVA/poly(γ-glutamic acid) electrospun fiber.

    PubMed

    Yang, Jen Ming; Yang, Jhe Hao; Tsou, Shu Chun; Ding, Chian Hua; Hsu, Chih Chin; Yang, Kai Chiang; Yang, Chun Chen; Chen, Ko Shao; Chen, Szi Wen; Wang, Jong Shyan

    2016-09-01

    To overcome the obstacles of easy dissolution of PVA nanofibers without crosslinking treatment and the poor electrospinnability of the PVA cross-linked nanofibers via electrospinning process, the PVA based electrospun hydrogel nanofibers are prepared with post-crosslinking method. To expect the electrospun hydrogel fibers might be a promising scaffold for cell culture and tissue engineering applications, the evaluation of cell proliferation on the post-crosslinking electrospun fibers is conducted in this study. At beginning, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), PVA/sodium alginate (PVASA) and PVA/poly(γ-glutamic acid) (PVAPGA) electrospun fibers were prepared by electrospinning method. The electrospun PVA, PVASA and PVAPGA nanofibers were treated with post-cross-linking method with glutaraldehyde (Glu) as crosslinking agent. These electrospun fibers were characterized with thermogravimetry analysis (TGA) and their morphologies were observed with a scanning electron microscope (SEM). To support the evaluation and explanation of cell growth on the fiber, the study of 3T3 mouse fibroblast cell growth on the surface of pure PVA, SA, and PGA thin films is conducted. The proliferation of 3T3 on the electrospun fiber surface of PVA, PVASA, and PVAPGA was evaluated by seeding 3T3 fibroblast cells on these crosslinked electrospun fibers. The cell viability on electrospun fibers was conducted with water-soluble tetrazolium salt-1 assay (Cell Proliferation Reagent WST-1). The morphology of the cells on the fibers was also observed with SEM. The results of WST-1 assay revealed that 3T3 cells cultured on different electrospun fibers had similar viability, and the cell viability increased with time for all electrospun fibers. From the morphology of the cells on electrospun fibers, it is found that 3T3 cells attached on all electrospun fiber after 1day seeded. Cell-cell communication was noticed on day 3 for all electrospun fibers. Extracellular matrix (ECM) productions were found and

  5. Development of a novel alginate-polyvinyl alcohol-hydroxyapatite hydrogel for 3D bioprinting bone tissue engineered scaffolds.

    PubMed

    Bendtsen, Stephanie T; Quinnell, Sean P; Wei, Mei

    2017-05-01

    Three-dimensional printed biomaterials used as personalized tissue substitutes have the ability to promote and enhance regeneration in areas of defected tissue. The challenge with 3D printing for bone tissue engineering remains the selection of a material with optimal rheological properties for printing in addition to biocompatibility and capacity for uniform cell incorporation. Hydrogel biomaterials may provide sufficient printability to allow cell encapsulation and bioprinting of scaffolds with uniform cell distribution. In this study, a novel alginate-polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-hydroxyapatite (HA) hydrogel formulation with optimal rheological properties for 3D bioprinting of mouse calvaria 3T3-E1 (MC3T3) cells into scaffolds of high shape fidelity has been developed. A systematic investigation was conducted to determine the effect of varying concentrations of alginate, phosphate, calcium, and the PVA-HA suspension in the formulation on the resulting viscosity and thus printability of the hydrogel. HA, the main mineral component in natural bone, was incorporated into the hydrogel formulation to create a favorable bone-forming environment due to its excellent osteoconductivity. Degradation studies in α-MEM cell culture media showed that the 3D printed alginate-PVA-HA scaffolds remained in-tact for 14 days. MC3T3 cells were well distributed and encapsulated throughout the optimal hydrogel formulation and expressed high viability through the completion of the 3D printing process. Thus, the development of this novel, osteoconductive, biodegradable, alginate-PVA-HA formulation and its ability to 3D bioprint tissue engineered scaffolds make it a promising candidate for treating personalized bone defects. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 105A: 1457-1468, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  6. Characterization of a polyvinyl alcohol-hydrogel artificial articular cartilage prepared by injection molding.

    PubMed

    Kobayashi, Masanori; Oka, Masanori

    2004-01-01

    We have developed a hip hemi-arthroplasty using polyvinyl alcohol-hydrogel (PVA-H) as the treatment for hip joint disorders in which the lesion is limited to the joint surface. In previous studies, we characterized the biocompatibility and the mechanical properties of PVA-H as an arthroplasty material. To fix PVA-H firmly to the bone, we have devised an implant composed of PVA-H and porous titanium fiber mesh (TFM). However, because of poor infiltration of the PVA solution into the pores of the TFM when using the low temperature crystallization method, the strength of the PVA-H-TFM interface was insufficient. Consequently, the infiltration method was improved by adopting high-pressure injection molding. With this improved method, the bonding strength of the interface increased remarkably. However, as this injection molding requires high temperature, various mechanical properties of the PVA-H might change with this treatment in comparison with the previous method. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of high temperature treatment on the mechanical properties of PVA-H as artificial articular cartilage, the tensile test and friction test were performed about new PVA-H. The results showed no significant mechanical deterioration of the PVA-H. This certified that the injection-molding method did not induce the change of the mechanical properties of PVA-H and indicated the potential of hemi-arthroplasty using PVA-H by this method in the future.

  7. Polyvinyl alcohol-based nanocomposite hydrogels containing magnetic laponite RD to remove cadmium.

    PubMed

    Mola Ali Abasiyan, Sara; Mahdavinia, Gholam Reza

    2018-05-01

    In this study, magnetic nanocomposite hydrogels based on polyvinyl alcohol were synthesized. Magnetic polyvinyl alcohol/laponite RD (PVA-mLap) nanocomposites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The results indicated that PVA-mLap had desirable magnetic-sorption properties and magnetic-laponite nanoparticles were successfully synthesized and added to polyvinyl alcohol. The present nanocomposites were applied to remove Cd 2+ from aqueous solution. The influence of initial Cd 2+ concentration, magnetic-laponite concentration, pH, and ionic strength on adsorption isotherm was investigated. Heterogeneity of adsorption sites was intensified by increasing magnetic concentration of adsorbents and by rising pH value. Results of ionic strength studies indicated that by increasing ionic strength more than four times, the adsorption of Cd 2+ has only decreased around 15%. According to the results, the dominant mechanism of Cd 2+ sorption by the present adsorbents was determined chemical and specific sorption. Therefore, the use of the present nanocomposites as a powerful adsorbent of Cd 2+ in the wastewater treatment is suggested. Isotherm data were described by using Freundlich and Langmuir models, and better fitting was introduced Langmuir model.

  8. Characterization and swelling-deswelling properties of wheat straw cellulose based semi-IPNs hydrogel.

    PubMed

    Liu, Jia; Li, Qian; Su, Yuan; Yue, Qinyan; Gao, Baoyu

    2014-07-17

    A novel wheat straw cellulose-g-poly(potassium acrylate)/polyvinyl alcohol (WSC-g-PKA/PVA) semi-interpenetrating polymer networks (semi-IPNs) hydrogel was prepared by polymerizing wheat straw and an aqueous solution of acrylic acid (AA), and further semi-interpenetrating with PVA occurred during the chemosynthesis. The swelling and deswelling properties of WSC-g-PKA/PVA semi-IPNs hydrogel and WSC-g-PKA hydrogel were studied and compared in various pH solutions, salt solutions, temperatures, particle sizes and ionic strength. The results indicated that both hydrogels had the largest swelling capacity at pH=6, and the effect of ions on the swelling of hydrogels was in the order: Na(+)>K(+)>Mg(2+)>Ca(2+). The Schott's pseudo second order model can be effectively used to evaluate swelling kinetics of hydrogels. Moreover, the semi-IPNs hydrogel had improved swelling-deswelling properties compared with that of WSC-g-PKA hydrogel. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Optimizing the tensile properties of polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel for the construction of a bioprosthetic heart valve stent.

    PubMed

    Wan, W K; Campbell, G; Zhang, Z F; Hui, A J; Boughner, D R

    2002-01-01

    Although bioprosthetic heart valves offer the benefits of a natural opening and closing, better hemodynamics, and avoidance of life-long anticoagulant therapy, they nevertheless tend to fail in 10-15 years from tears and calcification. Several authors, including the present ones, have identified the rigid stent as a factor contributing to these failures. The ultimate solution is an artificial heart valve that has mechanical properties that allow it to move in conformity with the aortic root during the cardiac cycle, has superior hemodynamics, is nonthrombogenic, will last more than 20 years, and mitigates the need for anticoagulants. We have identified a polymer, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel, that has mechanical properties similar to soft tissue. The purpose of this research is to match the tensile properties of PVA to the porcine aortic root and to fabricate a stent prototype for a bioprosthetic heart valve with the use of the PVA hydrogel. Specimens of 15% w/w PVA were prepared by processing through 1-6 cycles of freezing (-20 degrees C) at 0.2 degrees C/min freeze rate and thawing (+20 degrees C) at different thawing rates (0.2 degrees C/min and 1 degrees C/min), for different holding times (1 and 6 h) at -20 degrees C. Subsequently tensile tests and stress-relaxation tests were conducted on the specimens. The different holding times at -20 degrees C demonstrated no difference in the result. The slower thawing rate improved the tensile properties but did not produce significant changes on the stress-relaxation properties. The nonlinear stress-strain curve for the PVA after the fourth freeze-thaw cycle matched the porcine aortic root within the physiological pressure range. The stress-relaxation curve for PVA also approximated the shape of the aortic root. The complex geometry of an artificial heart valve stent was successfully injection molded. These results, in combination with other preliminary findings for biocompatibility and fatigue behavior, suggest

  10. Anisotropic polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel phantom for shear wave elastography in fibrous biological soft tissue: a multimodality characterization

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chatelin, Simon; Bernal, Miguel; Deffieux, Thomas; Papadacci, Clément; Flaud, Patrice; Nahas, Amir; Boccara, Claude; Gennisson, Jean-Luc; Tanter, Mickael; Pernot, Mathieu

    2014-11-01

    Shear wave elastography imaging techniques provide quantitative measurement of soft tissues elastic properties. Tendons, muscles and cerebral tissues are composed of fibers, which induce a strong anisotropic effect on the mechanical behavior. Currently, these tissues cannot be accurately represented by existing elastography phantoms. Recently, a novel approach for orthotropic hydrogel mimicking soft tissues has been developed (Millon et al 2006 J. Biomed. Mater. Res. B 305-11). The mechanical anisotropy is induced in a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) cryogel by stretching the physical crosslinks of the polymeric chains while undergoing freeze/thaw cycles. In the present study we propose an original multimodality imaging characterization of this new transverse isotropic (TI) PVA hydrogel. Multiple properties were investigated using a large variety of techniques at different scales compared with an isotropic PVA hydrogel undergoing similar imaging and rheology protocols. The anisotropic mechanical (dynamic and static) properties were studied using supersonic shear wave imaging technique, full-field optical coherence tomography (FFOCT) strain imaging and classical linear rheometry using dynamic mechanical analysis. The anisotropic optical and ultrasonic spatial coherence properties were measured by FFOCT volumetric imaging and backscatter tensor imaging, respectively. Correlation of mechanical and optical properties demonstrates the complementarity of these techniques for the study of anisotropy on a multi-scale range as well as the potential of this TI phantom as fibrous tissue-mimicking phantom for shear wave elastographic applications.

  11. A composite hydrogels-based photonic crystal multi-sensor

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Cheng; Zhu, Zhigang; Zhu, Xiangrong; Yu, Wei; Liu, Mingju; Ge, Qiaoqiao; Shih, Wei-Heng

    2015-04-01

    A facile route to prepare stimuli-sensitive poly(vinyl alcohol)/poly(acrylic acid) (PVA/PAA) gelated crystalline colloidal array photonic crystal material was developed. PVA was physically gelated by utilizing an ethanol-assisted method, the resulting hydrogel/crystal composite film was then functionalized with PAA to form an interpenetrating hydrogel film. This sensor film is able to efficiently diffract the visible light and rapidly respond to various environmental stimuli such as solvent, pH and strain, and the accompanying structural color shift can be repeatedly changed and easily distinguished by naked eye.

  12. Spontaneous stacking of purple membranes during immobilization with physical cross-linked poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel with retaining native-like functionality of bacteriorhodopsin

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yokoyama, Yasunori; Tanaka, Hikaru; Yano, Shunsuke; Takahashi, Hiroshi; Kikukawa, Takashi; Sonoyama, Masashi; Takenaka, Koshi

    2017-05-01

    We previously discovered the correlation between light-induced chromophore color change of a photo-receptor membrane protein bacteriorhodopsin (bR) and its two-dimensional crystalline state in the membrane. To apply this phenomenon to a novel optical memory device, it is necessary that bR molecules are immobilized as maintaining their structure and functional properties. In this work, a poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogel with physical cross-linkages (hydrogen bonds between PVA chains) that resulted from repeated freezing-and-thawing (FT) cycles was used as an immobilization medium. To investigate the effects of physically cross-linked PVA gelation on the structure and function of bR in purple membranes (PMs), spectroscopic techniques were employed against PM/PVA immobilized samples prepared with different FT cycle numbers. Visible circular dichroism spectroscopy strongly suggested PM stacking during gelation. X-ray diffraction data also indicated the PM stacking as well as its native-like crystalline lattice even after gelation. Time-resolved absorption spectroscopy showed that bR photocycle behaviors in PM/PVA immobilized samples were almost identical to that in suspension. These results suggested that a physically cross-linked PVA hydrogel is appropriate for immobilizing membrane proteins in terms of maintaining their structure and functionality.

  13. Compressive and swelling behavior of cuttlebone derived hydroxyapatite loaded PVA hydrogel implants for articular cartilage

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kumar, B. Y. Santosh; Kumar, G. C. Mohan; Isloor, Arun M.

    2018-04-01

    Developing a novel antibacterial, nontoxic and biocompatible hydrogel with superior physio mechanical properties is still becoming a challenge. Herein, we synthesize hydroxyapatite (HA) powder from cuttlefish bone and prepare a series of stiff, tough, high strength, biocompatible hydrogel reinforced with HA by integrating glutaraldehyde into PVA/HA. Powder was characterized by SEM and XRD. Compressive strength and swelling properties are studied and compare the results with the properties of healthy natural articular cartilage.

  14. Photonic crystal fiber interferometric pH sensor based on polyvinyl alcohol/polyacrylic acid hydrogel coating.

    PubMed

    Hu, Pengbing; Dong, Xinyong; Wong, Wei Chang; Chen, Li Han; Ni, Kai; Chan, Chi Chiu

    2015-04-01

    We present a simple photonic crystal fiber interferometer (PCFI) that operates in reflection mode for pH measurement. The sensor is made by coating polyvinyl alcohol/polyacrylic acid (PVA/PAA) hydrogel onto the surface of the PCFI, constructed by splicing a stub of PCF at the distal end of a single-mode fiber with its free end airhole collapsed. The experimental results demonstrate a high average sensitivity of 0.9 nm/pH unit for the 11 wt.% PVA/PAA coated sensor in the pH range from 2.5 to 6.5. The sensor also displays high repeatability and stability and low cross-sensitivity to temperature. Fast, reversible rise and fall times of 12 s and 18 s, respectively, are achieved for the sensor time response.

  15. Use of Chitosan-PVA Hydrogels with Copper Nanoparticles to Improve the Growth of Grafted Watermelon.

    PubMed

    González Gómez, Homero; Ramírez Godina, Francisca; Ortega Ortiz, Hortensia; Benavides Mendoza, Adalberto; Robledo Torres, Valentín; Cabrera De la Fuente, Marcelino

    2017-06-22

    Modern agriculture requires alternative practices that improve crop growth without negatively affecting the environment, as resources such as water and arable land grow scarcer while the human population continues to increase. Grafting is a cultivation technique that allows the plant to be more efficient in its utilization of water and nutrients, while nanoscale material engineering provides the opportunity to use much smaller quantities of consumables compared to conventional systems but with similar or superior effects. On those grounds, we evaluated the effects of chitosan-polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel with absorbed copper nanoparticles (Cs-PVA-nCu) on leaf morphology and plant growth when applied to grafted watermelon cultivar 'Jubilee' plants. Stomatal density (SD), stomatal index (SI), stoma length (SL), and width (SW) were evaluated. The primary stem and root length, the stem diameter, specific leaf area, and fresh and dry weights were also recorded. Our results demonstrate that grafting induces modifications to leaf micromorphology that favorably affect plant growth, with grafted plants showing better vegetative growth in spite of their lower SD and SI values. Application of Cs-PVA-nCu was found to increase stoma width, primary stem length, and root length by 7%, 8% and 14%, respectively. These techniques modestly improve plant development and growth.

  16. Use of carboxylated cellulose nanofibrils-filled magnetic chitosan hydrogel beads as adsorbents for Pb(II).

    PubMed

    Zhou, Yiming; Fu, Shiyu; Zhang, Liangliang; Zhan, Huaiyu; Levit, Mikhail V

    2014-01-30

    Novel magnetic hydrogel beads (m-CS/PVA/CCNFs), consisting of carboxylated cellulose nanofibrils (CCNFs), amine-functionalized magnetite nanoparticles and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) blended chitosan (CS), were prepared by an instantaneous gelation method. SEM, XRD, and TGA techniques were applied to investigate the structure of the hydrogel materials. The magnetic hydrogels were employed as absorbents for removal of Pb(II) ions from aqueous solutions and the fundamental adsorption behavior was studied. Experimental results revealed that the m-CS/PVA/CCNFs hydrogels exhibit higher adsorption capacity with the value of 171.0mg/g, and the carboxylate groups on the CCNFs surface play an important role in Pb(II) adsorption. Moreover, adsorption isotherm data were reliably described by the Langmuir model and the adsorption kinetics closely followed pseudo-second order model. Additionally, the Pb(II)-loaded m-CS/PVA/CCNFs hydrogels could be easily regenerated in weak acid solution and the adsorption effectiveness of 90% can be maintained after the 4 cycles. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Development and Characterization of UHMWPE Fiber-Reinforced Hydrogels For Meniscal Replacement

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Holloway, Julianne Leigh

    Meniscal tears are the most common orthopedic injuries to the human body. The current treatment of choice, however, is a partial meniscectomy that leads to osteoarthritis proportional to the amount of tissue removed. As a result, there is a significant clinical need to develop materials capable of restoring the biomechanical contact stress distribution to the knee after meniscectomy and preventing the onset of osteoarthritis. In this work, a fiber-reinforced hydrogel-based synthetic meniscus was developed that allows for tailoring of the mechanical properties and molding of the implant to match the size, shape, and property distribution of the native tissue. Physically cross-linked poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogels were reinforced with ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibers and characterized in compression (0.1-0.8 MPa) and tension (0.1-250 MPa) showing fine control over mechanical properties within the range of the human meniscus. Morphology and crystallinity analysis of PVA hydrogels showed increases in crystallinity and PVA densification, or phase separation, with freeze-thaw cycles. A comparison of freeze-thawed and aged, physically cross-linked hydrogels provided insight on both crystallinity and phase separation as mechanisms for PVA gelation. Results indicated both mechanisms independently contributed to hydrogel modulus for freeze-thawed hydrogels. In vitro swelling studies were performed using osmotic solutions to replicate the swelling pressure present in the knee. Minimal swelling was observed for hydrogels with a PVA concentration of 30-35 wt%, independently of hydrogel freeze-thaw cycles. This allows for independent tailoring of hydrogel modulus and pore structure using freeze-thaw cycles and swelling behavior using polymer concentration to match a wide range of properties needed for various soft tissue applications. The UHMWPE-PVA interface was identified as a significant weakness. To improve interfacial adhesion, a novel

  18. Luminescence study of ZnSe/PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) composite film

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lahariya, Vikas

    The ZnSe nanocrystals have been prepared into poly vinyl alcohol(PVA) polymer matrix on glass using ZnCl2 and Na2SeSO3 as zinc and selenium source respectively. Poly vinyl Alcohol (PVA) used as polymer matrix cum capping agent due to their high viscosity and water solubility. It is transparent for visible region and prevents Se- ions to photo oxidation. The ZnSe/PVA composite film was deposited on glass substrate. The film was characterized by X Ray Diffraction (XRD) and UV-Visible absorption Spectroscopy and Photoluminescence. The X Ray Diffraction (XRD) study confirms the nanometer size (10 nm) particle formation within PVA matrix with cubic zinc blendmore » crystal structure. The UV-Visible Absorption spectrum of ZnSe/PVA composite film shown blue shift in absorption edge indicating increased band gap due to quantum confinement. The calculated energy band gap from the absorption edge using Tauc relation is 3.4 eV. From the Photoluminescence study a broad peak at 435 nm has been observed in violet blue region due to recombination of surface states.« less

  19. Chromatographic matrix based on hydrogel-coated reticulated polyurethane foams, prepared by gamma irradiation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sánchez, Mirna L.; Giménez, Claudia Y.; Delgado, Juan F.; Martínez, Leandro J.; Grasselli, Mariano

    2017-12-01

    Novel chromatographic materials for protein purification with high adsorption capacity and fouling resistance are highly demanded to improve downstream processes. Here, we describe a novel adsorptive material based on reticulated polyurethane foam (rPUF) coated with a functional hydrogel layer. rPUF provides physical rigidity through its macroscopic structure, whereas the hydrogel layer provides capacity to adsorb proteins by specific interactions. The hydrogel coating process was performed by the dip-coating method, using a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) solution. The PVA hydrogel was linked to the rPUF material by using a radiation-induced crosslinking process in aqueous ethanol solution. The ethanol in the solvent mixture allowed a balance between PVA swelling and PVA dissolution during the irradiation step. The resulting material showed higher thermal stability than the non-irradiated one. In addition, a simultaneous radiation-induced grafting polymerization (SRIGP) was done by simple addition of glycidyl methacrylate monomer into the irradiation solution. In a further step, sulfonic ligands were included specifically in the hydrogel layer, which contained around 200% of PVA respect to the original rPUF. Materials were characterized by FT-IR, thermogravimetric analysis, SEM microscopy and EDX analysis. The cation-exchange rPUF material was functionally characterized by the Langmuir isotherm and a dynamic adsorption experiment to analyze the chromatographic properties for protein purification processes.

  20. Bioinformatics Analysis and Characterization of Highly Efficient Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA)-Degrading Enzymes from the Novel PVA Degrader Stenotrophomonas rhizophila QL-P4.

    PubMed

    Wei, Yahong; Fu, Jing; Wu, Jianying; Jia, Xinmiao; Zhou, Yunheng; Li, Cuidan; Dong, Mengxing; Wang, Shanshan; Zhang, Ju; Chen, Fei

    2018-01-01

    Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is used widely in industry, and associated environmental pollution is a serious problem. Herein, we report a novel, efficient PVA degrader, Stenotrophomonas rhizophila QL-P4, isolated from fallen leaves from a virgin forest in the Qinling Mountains. The complete genome was obtained using single-molecule real-time (SMRT) technology and corrected using Illumina sequencing. Bioinformatics analysis revealed eight PVA/vinyl alcohol oligomer (OVA)-degrading genes. Of these, seven genes were predicted to be involved in the classic intracellular PVA/OVA degradation pathway, and one (BAY15_3292) was identified as a novel PVA oxidase. Five PVA/OVA-degrading enzymes were purified and characterized. One of these, BAY15_1712, a PVA dehydrogenase (PVADH), displayed high catalytic efficiency toward PVA and OVA substrate. All reported PVADHs only have PVA-degrading ability. Most importantly, we discovered a novel PVA oxidase (BAY15_3292) that exhibited higher PVA-degrading efficiency than the reported PVADHs. Further investigation indicated that BAY15_3292 plays a crucial role in PVA degradation in S. rhizophila QL-P4. Knocking out BAY15_3292 resulted in a significant decline in PVA-degrading activity in S. rhizophila QL-P4. Interestingly, we found that BAY15_3292 possesses exocrine activity, which distinguishes it from classic PVADHs. Transparent circle experiments further proved that BAY15_3292 greatly affects extracellular PVA degradation in S. rhizophila QL-P4. The exocrine characteristics of BAY15_3292 facilitate its potential application to PVA bioremediation. In addition, we report three new efficient secondary alcohol dehydrogenases (SADHs) with OVA-degrading ability in S. rhizophila QL-P4; in contrast, only one OVA-degrading SADH was reported previously. IMPORTANCE With the widespread application of PVA in industry, PVA-related environmental pollution is an increasingly serious issue. Because PVA is difficult to degrade, it accumulates in aquatic

  1. Effects of PVA(Polyvinyl Alcohol) on Supercooling Phenomena of Water

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kumano, Hiroyuki; Saito, Akio; Okawa, Seiji; Takizawa, Hiroshi

    In this paper, effects of polymer additive on supercooling of water were investigated experimentally. Poly-vinyl alcohol (PVA) were used as the polymer, and the samples were prepared by dissolving PVA in ultra pure water. Concentration, degree of polymerization and saponification of PVA were varied as the experimental parameters. The sample was cooled, and the temperature at the instant when ice appears was measured. Since freezing of supercooled water is statistical phenomenon, many experiments were carried out and average degrees of supercooling were obtained for each experimental condition. As the result, it was found that PVA affects nucleation of supercooling and the degree of supercooling increases by adding the PVA. Especially, it is found that the average degree of supercooling increases and the standard deviation of average degree of supercooling decreases with increase of degree of saponification of PVA. However, the average degree of supercooling are independent of the degree of polymerization of PVA in the range of this study.

  2. Smart nanocomposite hydrogels based on azo crosslinked graphene oxide for oral colon-specific drug delivery

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hou, Lin; Shi, Yuyang; Jiang, Guixiang; Liu, Wei; Han, Huili; Feng, Qianhua; Ren, Junxiao; Yuan, Yujie; Wang, Yongchao; Shi, Jinjin; Zhang, Zhenzhong

    2016-08-01

    A safe and efficient nanocomposite hydrogel for colon cancer drug delivery was synthesized using pH-sensitive and biocompatible graphene oxide (GO) containing azoaromatic crosslinks as well as poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) (GO-N=N-GO/PVA composite hydrogels). Curcumin (CUR), an anti-cancer drug, was encapsulated successfully into the hydrogel through a freezing and thawing process. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy were performed to confirm the formation and morphological properties of the nanocomposite hydrogel. The hydrogels exhibited good swelling properties in a pH-sensitive manner. Drug release studies under conditions mimicking stomach to colon transit have shown that the drug was protected from being released completely into the physiological environment of the stomach and small intestine. In vivo imaging analysis, pharmacokinetics and a distribution of the gastrointestinal tract experiment were systematically studied and evaluated as colon-specific drug delivery systems. All the results demonstrated that GO-N=N-GO/PVA composite hydrogels could protect CUR well while passing through the stomach and small intestine to the proximal colon, and enhance the colon-targeting ability and residence time in the colon site. Therefore, CUR loaded GO-N=N-GO/PVA composite hydrogels might potentially provide a theoretical basis for the treatment of colon cancer with high efficiency and low toxicity.

  3. Adsorption of ammonium and phosphate by feather protein based semi-interpenetrating polymer networks hydrogel as a controlled-release fertilizer.

    PubMed

    Su, Yuan; Liu, Jia; Yue, Qinyan; Li, Qian; Gao, Baoyu

    2014-01-01

    A new feather protein-grafted poly(potassium acrylate)/polyvinyl alcohol (FP-g-PKA/PVA) semi-interpenetrating polymer networks (semi-IPNs) hydrogel was produced through graft copolymerization with FP as a basic macromolecular skeletal material, acrylic acid as a monomer and PVA as a semi-IPNs polymer. The adsorption of ammonium and phosphate ions from aqueous solution using the new hydrogel as N and P controlled-release fertilizer with water-retention capacity was studied. The effects of pH value, concentration, contact time and ion strength on NH4+ and PO3-4 removal by FP-g-PKA/PVA semi-IPNs hydrogel were investigated using batch adsorption experiments. The results indicated that the hydrogel had high adsorption capacities and fast adsorption rates for NH4+ and PO3-4 in wide pH levels ranging from 4.0 to 9.0. Kinetic analysis presented that both NH4+ and PO3-4 removal were closely fitted with the pseudo-second-order model. Furthermore, the adsorption isotherms of hydrogel were best represented by the Freundlich model. The adsorption-desorption experimental results showed the sustainable stability of FP-g-PKA/PVA semi-IPNs hydrogel for NH4+ and PO3-4 removal. Overall, FP-g-PKA/PVA could be considered as an efficient material for the removal and recovery of nitrogen and phosphorus with the agronomic reuse as a fertilizer.

  4. Influence of natural and synthetic crosslinking reagents on the structural and mechanical properties of chitosan-based hybrid hydrogels.

    PubMed

    Garnica-Palafox, I M; Sánchez-Arévalo, F M

    2016-10-20

    The objective of this work was to correlate the physical and chemical properties of chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol)/genipin (CS/PVA/GEN) and chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol)/glutaraldehyde (CS/PVA/GA) hydrogels with their structural and mechanical responses. In addition, their molecular structures were determined and confirmed using FTIR spectroscopy. The results indicated that the hybrid hydrogels crosslinked with genipin showed similar crystallinity, thermal properties, elongation ratio and structural parameters as those crosslinked with glutaraldehyde. However, it was found that the elastic moduli of the two hybrid hydrogels were slightly different: 2.82±0.33MPa and 2.08±0.11MPa for GA and GEN, respectively. Although the hybrid hydrogels crosslinked with GEN presented a lower elastic modulus, the main advantage is that GEN is five to ten thousand times less cytotoxic than GA. This means that the structural and mechanical properties of hybrid hydrogels crosslinked with GEN can easily be tuned and could have potential applications in the tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, food, agriculture and environmental industries. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Characterisation and in vitro stability of low-dose, lidocaine-loaded poly(vinyl alcohol)-tetrahydroxyborate hydrogels.

    PubMed

    Abdelkader, D H; Osman, M A; El-Gizawy, S A; Faheem, A M; McCarron, P A

    2016-03-16

    Poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogels cross-linked with the tetrahydroxyborate anion possess textural and rheological properties that can be used as novel drug-loaded vehicles for application to traumatic wounds. However, addition of soluble drug substances causes concentration-dependent phase separation and rheological changes. The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of adding a local anaesthetic, but keeping the concentration low in an attempt to prevent these changes. Cross-linked hydrogels prepared from three grades of poly(vinyl alcohol) were characterised rheologically. Temperature sweep studies showed an elevated complex viscosity upon moving from 25°C to 80°C, which remained high for 48 h following completion of the cycle. Adhesion to model dermal surfaces achieved a maximum of 2.62 N cm(-2) and were greater than that observed to epidermal substrates, with a strong dependence on the rate of detachment used during testing. An optimised formulation (6% w/w PVA (31-50; 99) and 2% w/w THB) containing lidocaine hydrochloride loaded to an upper maximum concentration of 1.5% w/w was assessed for phase separation and drug crystallisation. After six months, crystallisation was present in formulations containing 0.7% and 1.5% lidocaine HCl. Changes in pH in response to increases in lidocaine loading were low. Drug release was shown to operate via a non-Fickian process for all three concentrations, with 60% occurring after approximately 24h. It can be concluded that using a low concentration of lidocaine hydrochloride in hydrogels based on poly(vinyl alcohol) will result in crystallisation. Furthermore, these hydrogels are unlikely to induce rapid anaesthesia due to the low loading and slow release kinetics. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Cu Nanoparticles in Hydrogels of Chitosan-PVA Affects the Characteristics of Post-Harvest and Bioactive Compounds of Jalapeño Pepper.

    PubMed

    Pinedo-Guerrero, Zeus H; Hernández-Fuentes, Alma Delia; Ortega-Ortiz, Hortensia; Benavides-Mendoza, Adalberto; Cadenas-Pliego, Gregorio; Juárez-Maldonado, And Antonio

    2017-06-02

    Peppers are consumed all over the world due to the flavor, aroma, and color that they add to food. Additionally, they play a role in human health, as they contain a high concentration of bioactive compounds and antioxidants. The treatments used were an absolute control, Cs-PVA, and four treatments with 0.02, 0.2, 2, and 10 mg (nCu) g -1 (Cs-PVA). The application of Cu nanoparticles in chitosan-PVA hydrogels increases the content of capsaicin by up to 51% compared to the control. This application also increases the content of antioxidants ABTS [2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazolin-6-sulfonic acid)] and DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl), total phenols and flavonoids (4%, 6.6%, 5.9%, and 12.7%, respectively) in jalapeño pepper fruits stored for 15 days at room temperature; under refrigeration, it increases DPPH antioxidants, total phenols, and flavonoids (23.9%, 1.54%, and 17.2%, respectively). The application of Cu nanoparticles in chitosan-PVA hydrogels, even when applied to the substrate, not only has an effect on the development of the jalapeño pepper crop, but also modifies the post-harvest characteristics of the jalapeño pepper fruits.

  7. Rational Design, Synthesis and Evaluation of γ-CD-Containing Cross-Linked Polyvinyl Alcohol Hydrogel as a Prednisone Delivery Platform.

    PubMed

    Marican, Adolfo; Avila-Salas, Fabián; Valdés, Oscar; Wehinger, Sergio; Villaseñor, Jorge; Fuentealba, Natalia; Arenas-Salinas, Mauricio; Argandoña, Yerko; Carrasco-Sánchez, Verónica; Durán-Lara, Esteban F

    2018-03-07

    This study describes the in-silico rational design, synthesis and evaluation of cross-linked polyvinyl alcohol hydrogels containing γ-cyclodextrin (γ-CDHSAs) as platforms for the sustained release of prednisone (PDN). Through in-silico studies using semi-empirical quantum mechanical calculations, the effectiveness of 20 dicarboxylic acids to generate a specific cross-linked hydrogel capable of supporting different amounts of γ-cyclodextrin (γ-CD) was evaluated. According to the interaction energies calculated with the in-silico studies, the hydrogel made from PVA cross-linked with succinic acids (SA) was shown to be the best candidate for containing γ-CD. Later, molecular dynamics simulation studies were performed in order to evaluate the intermolecular interactions between PDN and three cross-linked hydrogel formulations with different proportions of γ-CD (2.44%, 4.76% and 9.1%). These three cross-linked hydrogels were synthesized and characterized. The loading and the subsequent release of PDN from the hydrogels were investigated. The in-silico and experimental results showed that the interaction between PDN and γ-CDHSA was mainly produced with the γ-CDs linked to the hydrogels. Thus, the unique structures and properties of γ-CDHSA demonstrated an interesting multiphasic profile that could be utilized as a promising drug carrier for controlled, sustained and localized release of PDN.

  8. Rational Design, Synthesis and Evaluation of γ-CD-Containing Cross-Linked Polyvinyl Alcohol Hydrogel as a Prednisone Delivery Platform

    PubMed Central

    Marican, Adolfo; Valdés, Oscar; Wehinger, Sergio; Villaseñor, Jorge; Fuentealba, Natalia; Argandoña, Yerko; Carrasco-Sánchez, Verónica

    2018-01-01

    This study describes the in-silico rational design, synthesis and evaluation of cross-linked polyvinyl alcohol hydrogels containing γ-cyclodextrin (γ-CDHSAs) as platforms for the sustained release of prednisone (PDN). Through in-silico studies using semi-empirical quantum mechanical calculations, the effectiveness of 20 dicarboxylic acids to generate a specific cross-linked hydrogel capable of supporting different amounts of γ-cyclodextrin (γ-CD) was evaluated. According to the interaction energies calculated with the in-silico studies, the hydrogel made from PVA cross-linked with succinic acids (SA) was shown to be the best candidate for containing γ-CD. Later, molecular dynamics simulation studies were performed in order to evaluate the intermolecular interactions between PDN and three cross-linked hydrogel formulations with different proportions of γ-CD (2.44%, 4.76% and 9.1%). These three cross-linked hydrogels were synthesized and characterized. The loading and the subsequent release of PDN from the hydrogels were investigated. The in-silico and experimental results showed that the interaction between PDN and γ-CDHSA was mainly produced with the γ-CDs linked to the hydrogels. Thus, the unique structures and properties of γ-CDHSA demonstrated an interesting multiphasic profile that could be utilized as a promising drug carrier for controlled, sustained and localized release of PDN. PMID:29518980

  9. Non-woven PGA/PVA fibrous mesh as an appropriate scaffold for chondrocyte proliferation.

    PubMed

    Rampichová, M; Koštáková, E; Filová, E; Prosecká, E; Plencner, M; Ocheretná, L; Lytvynets, A; Lukáš, D; Amler, E

    2010-01-01

    Non-woven textile mesh from polyglycolic acid (PGA) was found as a proper material for chondrocyte adhesion but worse for their proliferation. Neither hyaluronic acid nor chitosan nor polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) increased chondrocyte adhesion. However, chondrocyte proliferation suffered from acidic byproducts of PGA degradation. However, the addition of PVA and/or chitosan into a wet-laid non-woven textile mesh from PGA improved chondrocyte proliferation seeded in vitro on the PGA-based composite scaffold namely due to a diminished acidification of their microenvironment. This PVA/PGA composite mesh used in combination with a proper hydrogel minimized the negative effect of PGA degradation without dropping positive parameters of the PGA wet-laid non-woven textile mesh. In fact, presence of PVA and/or chitosan in the PGA-based wet-laid non-woven textile mesh even advanced the PGA-based wet-laid non-woven textile mesh for chondrocyte seeding and artificial cartilage production due to a positive effect of PVA in such a scaffold on chondrocyte proliferation.

  10. Mineralization behavior and interface properties of BG-PVA/bone composite implants in simulated body fluid.

    PubMed

    Ma, Yanxuan; Zheng, Yudong; Huang, Xiaoshan; Xi, Tingfei; Lin, Xiaodan; Han, Dongfei; Song, Wenhui

    2010-04-01

    Due to the non-bioactivity and poor conjunction performance of present cartilage prostheses, the main work here is to develop the bioactive glass-polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel articular cartilage/bone (BG-PVA/bone) composite implants. The essential criterion for a biomaterial to bond with living bone is well-matched mechanical properties as well as biocompatibility and bioactivity. In vitro studies on the formation of a surface layer of carbonate hydroxyl apatite (HCA) and the corresponding variation of the properties of biomaterials are imperative for their clinical application. In this paper, the mineralization behavior and variation of the interface properties of BG-PVA/bone composites were studied in vitro by using simulated body fluid (SBF). The mineralization and HCA layer formed on the interface between the BG-PVA hydrogel and bone in SBF could provide the composites with bioactivity and firmer combination. The compression property, shear strength and interface morphology of BG-PVA/bone composite implants varying with the immersion time in SBF were characterized. Also, the influence laws of the immersion time, content of BG in the composites and aperture of bones to the mineralization behavior and interface properties were investigated. The good mineralization behavior and enhanced conjunction performance of BG-PVA/bone composites demonstrated that this kind of composite implant might be more appropriate cartilage replacements.

  11. Optical fiber Fabry-Perot interferometer with pH sensitive hydrogel film for hazardous gases sensing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zheng, Yangzi; Chen, Li Han; Chan, Chi Chiu; Dong, Xinyong; Yang, Jingyi; Tou, Zhi Qiang; So, Ping Lam

    2015-09-01

    An optical fiber Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) coated with polyvinyl alcohol/poly-acrylic acid (PVA/PAA) hydrogel film for toxic gases measurement has been developed. Splicing a short section of hollow core fiber between two single mode fibers forms the FPI. Dip-coated pH-sensitive PVA/PAA hydrogel film on the fiber end performs as a receptor for binding of volatile acids or ammonia, which makes the sensing film swelling or shrinking and results in the dip wavelength shift of the FPI. By demodulating the evolution of reflection spectrum for various concentrations of volatile acids, a sensitivity of 20.8 nm/ppm is achieved with uniform linearity.

  12. Microparticles Produced by the Hydrogel Template Method for Sustained Drug Delivery

    PubMed Central

    Lu, Ying; Sturek, Michael; Park, Kinam

    2014-01-01

    Polymeric microparticles have been used widely for sustained drug delivery. Current methods of microparticle production can be improved by making homogeneous particles in size and shape, increasing the drug loading, and controlling the initial burst release. In the current study, the hydrogel template method was used to produce homogeneous poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) microparticles and to examine formulation and process-related parameters. Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) was used to make hydrogel templates. The parameters examined include PVA molecular weight, type of PLGA (as characterized by lactide content, inherent viscosity), polymer concentration, drug concentration and composition of solvent system. Three model compounds studied were risperidone, methylprednisolone acetate and paclitaxel. The ability of the hydrogel template method to produce microparticles with good conformity to template was dependent on molecular weight of PVA and viscosity of the PLGA solution. Drug loading and encapsulation efficiency were found to be influenced by PLGA lactide content, polymer concentration and composition of the solvent system. The drug loading and encapsulation efficiency were 28.7% and 82% for risperidone, 31.5% and 90% for methylprednisolone acetate, and 32.2 % and 92 % for paclitaxel, respectively. For all three drugs, release was sustained for weeks, and the in vitro release profile of risperidone was comparable to that of microparticles prepared using the conventional emulsion method. The hydrogel template method provides a new approach of manipulating microparticles. PMID:24333903

  13. Self-supported fibrin-polyvinyl alcohol interpenetrating polymer networks: an easily handled and rehydratable biomaterial.

    PubMed

    Bidault, Laurent; Deneufchatel, Marie; Vancaeyzeele, Cédric; Fichet, Odile; Larreta-Garde, Véronique

    2013-11-11

    A fibrin hydrogel at physiological concentration (5 mg/mL) was associated with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) inside an interpenetrating polymer networks (IPN) architecture. Previously, PVA has been modified with methacrylate functions in order to cross-link it by free-radical polymerization. The fibrin network was synthesized by the enzymatic hydrolysis of fibrinogen by thrombin. The resulting self-supported materials simultaneously exhibit the properties of the fibrin hydrogel and those of the synthetic polymer network. Their storage modulus is 50-fold higher than that of the fibrin hydrogel and they are completely rehydratable. These materials are noncytotoxic toward human fibroblast and the fibrin present on the surface of PVAm-based IPNs favors cell development.

  14. Antibacterial and wound healing properties of chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol)/zinc oxide beads (CS/PVA/ZnO).

    PubMed

    Gutha, Yuvaraja; Pathak, Janak L; Zhang, Weijiang; Zhang, Yaping; Jiao, Xu

    2017-10-01

    Treatment against bacterial infection is crucial for wound healing. Development of cost-effective antibacterial agent with wound healing properties is still in high demand. In this study we aimed to design chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol)/zinc oxide (CS/PVA/ZnO) beads as novel antibacterial agent with wound healing properties. CS/PVA/ZnO beads were synthesized, and characterized by using XRD, FTIR, SEM, and TEM analysis. Pure chitosan exhibits two peaks at 2θ=10 and 20 and the CS/PVA polymer matrix exhibit the peaks at 2θ=19.7° and another of low intensity at 2θ=11.5°. Pure ZnO shows the characteristic peaks at (100), (002), (101), (102), (110), (103), (200), and (112) that were in good agreement with wurtzite ore having hexagonal lattice structure. The antibacterial activity of CS/PVA/ZnO against Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus were evaluated with the zone of inhibition method. Antibacterial activity of CS/PVA/ZnO was higher than that of chitosan (CS) and poly(vinyl alcohol (PVA). Hemocompatibility and biocompatibility of CS/PVA/ZnO were tested in in vitro. Wound healing properties of CS/PVA/ZnO were tested in mice skin wound. CS/PVA/ZnO showed strong antimicrobial, wound healing effect, hemocompatibility and biocompatibility. Hence the results strongly support the possibility of using this novel CS/PVA/ZnO material for the anti bacterial and wound healing application. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Degradation of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) by UV/chlorine oxidation: Radical roles, influencing factors, and degradation pathway.

    PubMed

    Ye, Bei; Li, Yue; Chen, Zhuo; Wu, Qian-Yuan; Wang, Wen-Long; Wang, Ting; Hu, Hong-Ying

    2017-11-01

    Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is widely used in industry but is difficult to degrade. In this study, the synergistic effect of UV irradiation and chlorination on degradation of PVA was investigated. UV irradiation or chlorination alone did not degrade PVA. By contrast, UV/chlorine oxidation showed good efficiency for PVA degradation via generation of active free radicals, such as OH and Cl. The relative importance of these two free radicals in the oxidation process was evaluated, and it was shown that OH contributed more to PVA degradation than Cl did. The degradation of PVA followed pseudo first order kinetics. The rate constant k increased linearly from 0 min -1 to 0.3 min -1 with increasing chlorine dosage in range of 0 mg/L to 20 mg/L. However, when the chlorine dosage was increased above 20 mg/L, scavenging effect of free radicals occurred, and the degradation efficiency of PVA did not increase much more. Acidic media increased the degradation efficiency of PVA by UV/chlorine oxidation more than basic or neutral media because of the higher ratio of [HOCl]/[OCl - ], higher free radical quantum yields, and the lower free radical quenching effect under acidic conditions. Results of Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy showed that carbonyl groups in degradation products were formed during UV/chlorine oxidation, and a possible degradation pathway via alcohol to carbonyl was proposed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. A novel gellan-PVA nanofibrous scaffold for skin tissue regeneration: Fabrication and characterization.

    PubMed

    Vashisth, Priya; Nikhil, Kumar; Roy, Partha; Pruthi, Parul A; Singh, Rajesh P; Pruthi, Vikas

    2016-01-20

    In this investigation, we have introduced novel electrospun gellan based nanofibers as a hydrophilic scaffolding material for skin tissue regeneration. These nanofibers were fabricated using a blend mixture of gellan with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). PVA reduced the repulsive force of resulting solution and lead to formation of uniform fibers with improved nanostructure. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) confirmed the average diameter of nanofibers down to 50 nm. The infrared spectra (IR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis evaluated the crosslinking, thermal stability and highly crystalline nature of gellan-PVA nanofibers, respectively. Furthermore, the cell culture studies using human dermal fibroblast (3T3L1) cells established that these gellan based nanofibrous scaffold could induce improved cell adhesion and enhanced cell growth than conventionally proposed gellan based hydrogels and dry films. Importantly, the nanofibrous scaffold are biodegradable and could be potentially used as a temporary substrate/or biomedical graft to induce skin tissue regeneration. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Micro- and Nanoscale Hydrogel Systems for Drug Delivery and Tissue Engineering

    PubMed Central

    Schwall, Christine T.; Banerjee, Ipsita A.

    2009-01-01

    The pursuit for targeted drug delivery systems has led to the development of highly improved biomaterials with enhanced biocompatibility and biodegradability properties. Micro- and nanoscale components of hydrogels prepared from both natural and artificial components have been gaining significant importance due to their potential uses in cell based therapies, tissue engineering, liquid micro-lenses, cancer therapy, and drug delivery. In this review some of the recent methodologies used in the preparation of a number of synthetic hydrogels such as poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPAm), poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), polyvinyl alcohol methylacrylate co-polymers (PVA-MA) and polylactic acid (PLA), as well as some of the natural hydrogels and their applications have been discussed in detail.

  18. Topical hydrogel matrix loaded with Simvastatin microparticles for enhanced wound healing activity.

    PubMed

    Yasasvini, S; Anusa, R S; VedhaHari, B N; Prabhu, P C; RamyaDevi, D

    2017-03-01

    A prolonged release drug delivery system was developed by loading Simvastatin-chitosan microparticles into poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogels for enhanced wound healing efficiency. The microparticles prepared by ionic gelation method with varying composition of chitosan and surfactants (Tween 80/Pluronic F-127) were optimized for entrapment efficiency, morphology and drug-polymer interactions. Microparticles prepared with 0.3% between 80 and 0.5:5 chitosan: drug ratio showed maximum entrapment efficiency of 82% with spherical morphology and mild interaction between drug and chitosan. 5% PVA solutions loaded with pure drug and drug loaded microparticles at three different doses (2.5mg, 5mg and 10mg equivalent of drug) were chemically cross linked using gluteraldehyde and HCl. The formulated hydrogels were optimized for swelling, in vitro release behavior and in vivo wound healing effect. Hydrogels containing 2.5mg equivalent dose of Simvastatin microparticles exhibited maximum cumulative percentage drug release of 92% (n=3) at the end of 7days. The in vitro drug release data was supported by the higher swelling index of the low dose hydrogels. The in vivo wound healing study was performed using Wistar rats (n=30, 5 groups with 6 animals in each group) for the formulated hydrogels (at 3 doses) and compared with the untreated animals and the positive control group treated with conventional topical Simvastatin ointment (1%). The wound healing effect was comparable to the in vitro results, wherein the animals treated with low dose hydrogels (replaced every 7days) exhibited considerable reduction in the wound area compared to medium and high dose hydrogels. Statistically significant difference (P<0.05) was observed in the wound area of the animals treated with low dose hydrogels compared to 1% ointment and untreated animals, as estimated by two-way ANOVA. The histopathology images of the different groups of animals also displayed the comparative changes in the wound

  19. Green Synthesis of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-cellulose nanofibril (CNF) hybrid aerogels and their use as superabsorbents

    Treesearch

    Qifeng Zheng; Zhiyong Cai; Shaoqin Gong

    2014-01-01

    Cross-linked polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)–cellulose nanofibril (CNF) hybrid organic aerogels were prepared using an environmentally friendly freeze-drying process. The resulting PVA/CNF aerogel was rendered both superhydrophobic and superoleophilic after being treated with methyltrichlorosilane via a simple thermal chemical vapor deposition process. Successful silanization...

  20. Preparation and characterization of novel biocompatible cryogels of poly (vinyl alcohol) and egg-albumin and their water sorption study.

    PubMed

    Bajpai, A K; Saini, Rajesh

    2006-01-01

    Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and egg albumin are water-soluble, biocompatible and biodegradable polymers and have been widely employed in biomedical fields. In this paper, novel physically cross-linked hydrogels composed of poly (vinyl alcohol) and egg albumin were prepared by cyclic freezing/thawing processes of aqueous solutions containing PVA and egg albumin. The FTIR analysis of prepared cryogels indicated that egg albumin was successfully introduced into the formed hydrogel possibly via hydrogen bonds among hydroxyl groups, amide groups and amino groups present in PVA and egg albumin. The gels were also characterized thermally and morphologically by DSC and SEM-techniques, respectively. The prepared so called 'cryogels' were evaluated for their water uptake potential and influence of various factors such as chemical architecture of the spongy hydrogels, pH and temperature of the swelling bath were investigated on the degree of water sorption by the cryogels. The effect of salt solution and various simulated biological fluids on the swelling of cryogel was also studied. The in vitro biocompatibility of the prepared cryogel was also judged by methods such as protein (BSA) adsorption, blood clot formation and percentage hemolysis measurements.

  1. Synthesis and characterization of tragacanth gum based hydrogels by radiation method for use in wound dressing application

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Singh, Baljit; Varshney, Lalit; Francis, Sanju; Rajneesh

    2017-06-01

    Keeping in view the inherent wound healing ability of tragacanth gum (TG), mucoadhesive and gel forming nature of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), in the present work, an attempt has been made to prepare the antibiotic drug 'gentamicin' and analgesic drug 'lidocaine' loaded sterile TG-PVA-PVP hydrogel dressings for care of wound infection and wound pain together. These polymers were characterized by cryo-SEM, AFM, FTIR, XRD, 13C NMR, TGA, DSC and swelling studies. Drug release mechanism and kinetic models, network parameters and other properties like haemolysis, mucoadhesion, water vapor permeability, microbial penetration, antioxidant activities and oxygen permeability were also determined. The results showed wound fluid absorption and slow drug release ability of hydrogel films. These polymer films were found to be blood compatible, permeable to water vapor and O2, and impermeable to microorganism. Further, the synergic effects of mucoadhesive, antimicrobial and antioxidant nature of hydrogel dressings will make them suitable candidate for wound management.

  2. Preparation and characterization of jackfruit seed starch/poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) blend film

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sarifuddin, N.; Shahrim, N. A.; Rani, N. N. S. A.; Zaki, H. H. M.; Azhar, A. Z. A.

    2018-01-01

    From the environmental point of view, biodegradable materials have been rapidly developed in the past years. PVA is one of the biodegradable synthetic polymers commonly used, but its degradation rate is slow. As an alternative to reduce plastic waste and accelerate the degradation process, PVA frequently blended with other natural polymers to improve its biodegradability. The natural polymer such as starch has high potential in enhancing PVA biodegradability by blending both components. The usage of starch extracted from agriculture wastes such as jackfruit seed is quite promising. In this study, jackfruit seed starch (JFSS)/poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) blend films were prepared using the solution casting method. The effect of starch content on the mechanical (tensile strength and elongation to break %) and physical properties of the tested films were investigated. The optimum tensile strength was obtained at 10.45 MPa when 4 wt. % of starch added to the blend. But, decreasing trend of tensile strength was found upon increasing the amount of starch beyond 4 wt. % in starch/PVA blend films. Nevertheless, elongation at break decreases with the increase in starch content. The mechanical properties of the blend films are supported by the Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), in which the native JFSS granules are wetted by PVA continuous phase with good dispersion and less agglomeration. The incorporation of JFSS in PVA has also resulted in the appearance of hydrogen bond peak, which evidenced by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR). Additionally, the biodegradation rate of JFSS/PVA was evaluated through soil burial test.

  3. Partially oxidized polyvinyl alcohol as a promising material for tissue engineering.

    PubMed

    Stocco, Elena; Barbon, Silvia; Grandi, Francesca; Gamba, Pier Giorgio; Borgio, Luca; Del Gaudio, Costantino; Dalzoppo, Daniele; Lora, Silvano; Rajendran, Senthilkumar; Porzionato, Andrea; Macchi, Veronica; Rambaldo, Anna; De Caro, Raffaele; Parnigotto, Pier Paolo; Grandi, Claudio

    2017-07-01

    The desired clinical outcome after implantation of engineered tissue substitutes depends strictly on the development of biodegradable scaffolds. In this study we fabricated 1% and 2% oxidized polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogels, which were considered for the first time for tissue-engineering applications. The final aim was to promote the protein release capacity and biodegradation rate of the resulting scaffolds in comparison with neat PVA. After physical crosslinking, characterization of specific properties of 1% and 2% oxidized PVA was performed. We demonstrated that mechanical properties, hydrodynamic radius of molecules, thermal characteristics and degree of crystallinity were inversely proportional to the PVA oxidation rate. On the other hand, swelling behaviour and protein release were enhanced, confirming the potential of oxidized PVA as a protein delivery system, besides being highly biodegradable. Twelve weeks after in vivo implantation in mice, the modified hydrogels did not elicit severe inflammatory reactions, showing them to be biocompatible and to degrade faster as the degree of oxidation increased. According to our results, oxidized PVA stands out as a novel biomaterial for tissue engineering that can be used to realize scaffolds with customizable mechanical behaviour, protein-loading ability and biodegradability. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  4. Crystal structures and magnetic properties of magnetite (Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4})/Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) ribbon

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ardiyanti, Harlina; Suharyadi, Edi, E-mail: esuharyadi@ugm.ac.id; Kato, Takeshi

    2016-04-19

    Ribbon of magnetite (Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4})/Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) nanoparticles have been successfully fabricated with various concentration of PVA synthesized by co-precipitation method. Particle size of nanoparticles Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} sample and ribbon Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}/PVA 25% sample is about 9.34 nm and 11.29 nm, respectively. The result of Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM) showed that saturation magnetization value decreased from 76.99 emu/g to 15.01 emu/g and coercivity increased from 49.30 Oe to 158.35 Oe as increasing concentration of PVA. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) analysis showed that encapsulated PVA given decreasing agglomeration, controlled shape of nanoparticles Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} more spherical and dispersed. Surfacemore » roughness decreased with increasing concentration of PVA.« less

  5. Batch and fixed-bed column study for p-nitrophenol, methylene blue, and U(VI) removal by polyvinyl alcohol-graphene oxide macroporous hydrogel bead.

    PubMed

    Chen, Dan; Zhou, Jun; Wang, Hongyu; Yang, Kai

    2018-01-01

    There is an increasing need to explore effective and clean approaches for hazardous contamination removal from wastewaters. In this work, a novel bead adsorbent, polyvinyl alcohol-graphene oxide (PVA-GO) macroporous hydrogel bead was prepared as filter media for p-nitrophenol (PNP), dye methylene blue (MB), and heavy metal U(VI) removal from aqueous solution. Batch and fixed-bed column experiments were carried out to evaluate the adsorption capacities of PNP, MB, and U(VI) on this bead. From batch experiments, the maximum adsorption capacities of PNP, MB, and U(VI) reached 347.87, 422.90, and 327.55 mg/g. From the fixed-bed column experiments, the adsorption capacities of PNP, MB, and U(VI) decreased with initial concentration increasing from 100 to 400 mg/L. The adsorption capacities of PNP, MB, and U(VI) decreased with increasing flow rate. Also, the maximum adsorption capacity of PNP decreased as pH increased from 3 to 9, while MB and U(VI) presented opposite tendencies. Furthermore, the bed depth service Time (BDST) model showed good linear relationships for the three ions' adsorption processes in this fixed-bed column, which indicated that the BDST model effectively evaluated and optimized the adsorption process of PVA-GO macroporous hydrogel bead in fixed-bed columns for hazardous contaminant removal from wastewaters.

  6. Temperature dosimetry using MR relaxation characteristics of poly(vinyl alcohol) cryogel (PVA-C).

    PubMed

    Lukas, L A; Surry, K J; Peters, T M

    2001-11-01

    Hyperthermic therapy is being used for a variety of medical treatments, such as tumor ablation and the enhancement of radiation therapy. Research in this area requires a tool to record the temperature distribution created by a heat source, similar to the dosimetry gels used in radiation therapy to record dose distribution. Poly(vinyl alcohol) cryogel (PVA-C) is presented as a material capable of recording temperature distributions between 45 and 70 degrees C, with less than a 1 degrees C error. An approximately linear, positive relationship between MR relaxation times and applied temperature is demonstrated, with a maximum of 16.3 ms/ degrees C change in T(1) and 10.2 ms/ degrees C in T(2) for a typical PVA-C gel. Applied heat reduces the amount of cross-linking in PVA-C, which is responsible for a predictable change in T(1) and T(2) times. Temperature distributions in PVA-C volumes may be determined by matching MR relaxation times across the volumes to calibration values produced in samples subjected to known temperatures. Factors such as thermotolerance, perfusion effects, and thermal conductivity of PVA-C are addressed for potentially extending this method to modeling thermal doses in tissue. Copyright 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  7. Closantel nano-encapsulated polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) solutions.

    PubMed

    Vega, Abraham Faustino; Medina-Torres, Luis; Calderas, Fausto; Gracia-Mora, Jesus; Bernad-Bernad, MaJosefa

    2016-08-01

    The influence of closantel on the rheological and physicochemical properties (particle size and by UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy) of PVA aqueous solutions is studied here. About 1% PVA aqueous solutions were prepared by varying the closantel content. The increase of closantel content led to a reduction in the particle size of final solutions. All the solutions were buffered at pH 7.4 and exhibited shear-thinning behavior. Furthermore, in oscillatory flow, a "solid-like" type behavior was observed for the sample containing 30 μg/mL closantel. Indicating a strong interaction between the dispersed and continuous phases and evidencing an interconnected network between the nanoparticle and PVA, this sample also showed the highest shear viscosity and higher shear thinning slope, indicating a more intrincate structure disrupted by shear. In conclusion, PVA interacts with closantel in aqueous solution and the critical concentration for closantel encapsulation by PVA was about 30 μg/mL; above this concentration, the average particle size decreased notoriously which was associated to closantel interacting with the surface of the PVA aggregates and thus avoiding to some extent direct polymer-polymer interaction.

  8. A Novel Vitreous Substitute of Using a Foldable Capsular Vitreous Body Injected with Polyvinylalcohol Hydrogel

    PubMed Central

    Feng, Songfu; Chen, Han; Liu, Yaqin; Huang, Zhen; Sun, Xuyuan; Zhou, Lian; Lu, Xiaohe; Gao, Qianying

    2013-01-01

    Hydrogels may be the ideal vitreous substitutes due to their wonderful physical features and biocompatibility. However, their drawbacks, short residence time, and biodegradation in vivo, have led to the fact that none of them have been approved for clinical use. In this study, we developed a novel approach of using a foldable capsular vitreous body (FCVB) injected with polyvinylalcohol (PVA) hydrogel as a vitreous substitute for long-term tamponade. The 3% PVA hydrogel that was cross-linked by gamma irradiation showed good rheological and physical properties and had no toxicity in vitro. After 180 days retention, the 3% PVA hydrogel inside FCVB remained transparent and showed good viscoelasticity without biodegradation and showed good biocompatibility and retina support. This new approach may develop into a valuable tool to improve the stability performance of PVA hydrogel as a vitreous substitute and to extend the application function of FCVB for long-term implantation in vitreous cavity. PMID:23670585

  9. A novel vitreous substitute of using a foldable capsular vitreous body injected with polyvinylalcohol hydrogel.

    PubMed

    Feng, Songfu; Chen, Han; Liu, Yaqin; Huang, Zhen; Sun, Xuyuan; Zhou, Lian; Lu, Xiaohe; Gao, Qianying

    2013-01-01

    Hydrogels may be the ideal vitreous substitutes due to their wonderful physical features and biocompatibility. However, their drawbacks, short residence time, and biodegradation in vivo, have led to the fact that none of them have been approved for clinical use. In this study, we developed a novel approach of using a foldable capsular vitreous body (FCVB) injected with polyvinylalcohol (PVA) hydrogel as a vitreous substitute for long-term tamponade. The 3% PVA hydrogel that was cross-linked by gamma irradiation showed good rheological and physical properties and had no toxicity in vitro. After 180 days retention, the 3% PVA hydrogel inside FCVB remained transparent and showed good viscoelasticity without biodegradation and showed good biocompatibility and retina support. This new approach may develop into a valuable tool to improve the stability performance of PVA hydrogel as a vitreous substitute and to extend the application function of FCVB for long-term implantation in vitreous cavity.

  10. Effect of the PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) concentration on the optical properties of Eu-doped YAG phosphors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hora, Daniela A.; Andrade, Adriano B.; Ferreira, Nilson S.; Teixeira, Verônica C.; dos S. Rezende, Marcos V.

    2016-10-01

    The influence of the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) concentration on the synthesis and structural, morphological and optical properties of Y3Al5O13: Eu (Eu-doped YAG) was systematically investigated in this work. The final concentration of PVA in the preparation step influenced the crystallite size and also the degree of particle agglomeration in Eu-doped YAG phosphors. X-ray excited optical luminescence (XEOL) emission spectra results indicated typical Eu3+ emission lines and an abnormally intense 5D0 → 7F4. The intensity parameters Ω2 and Ω4 were calculated and indicated the PVA concentration affects the ratio Ω2:Ω4. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) results showed Eu valence did not change and the symmetry around the Eu3+ is influenced by the PVA concentration. XEOL-XAS showed the luminescence increases as a function of energy.

  11. Microsphere erosion in outer hydrogel membranes creating macroscopic porosity to counter biofouling-induced sensor degradation.

    PubMed

    Vaddiraju, S; Wang, Y; Qiang, L; Burgess, D J; Papadimitrakopoulos, F

    2012-10-16

    Biofouling and tissue inflammation present major challenges toward the realization of long-term implantable glucose sensors. Following sensor implantation, proteins and cells adsorb on sensor surfaces to not only inhibit glucose flux but also signal a cascade of inflammatory events that eventually lead to permeability-reducing fibrotic encapsulation. The use of drug-eluting hydrogels as outer sensor coatings has shown considerable promise to mitigate these problems via the localized delivery of tissue response modifiers to suppress inflammation and fibrosis, along with reducing protein and cell absorption. Biodegradable poly (lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) microspheres, encapsulated within a poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogel matrix, present a model coating where the localized delivery of the potent anti-inflammatory drug dexamethasone has been shown to suppress inflammation over a period of 1-3 months. Here, it is shown that the degradation of the PLGA microspheres provides an auxiliary venue to offset the negative effects of protein adsorption. This was realized by: (1) the creation of fresh porosity within the PVA hydrogel following microsphere degradation (which is sustained until the complete microsphere degradation) and (2) rigidification of the PVA hydrogel to prevent its complete collapse onto the newly created void space. Incubation of the coated sensors in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) led to a monotonic increase in glucose permeability (50%), with a corresponding enhancement in sensor sensitivity over a 1 month period. Incubation in serum resulted in biofouling and consequent clogging of the hydrogel microporosity. This, however, was partially offset by the generated macroscopic porosity following microsphere degradation. As a result of this, a 2-fold recovery in sensor sensitivity for devices with microsphere/hydrogel composite coatings was observed as opposed to similar devices with blank hydrogel coatings. These findings suggest that the use of

  12. Influence of Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) Addition on Silica Membrane Performance Prepared from Rice Straw

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wahyuningsih, S.; Ramelan, A. H.; Wardoyo, D. T.; Ichsan, S.; Kristiawan, Y. R.

    2018-03-01

    The utilization and modification of silica from rice straw as the main ingredient of adsorbent has been studied. The aim of this study was to determine the optimum composition of PVA (polyvinyl alcohol): silica to produce adsorbents with excellent pore characteristics, optimum adsorption efficiency and optimum pH for methyl yellow adsorptions. X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analysis results showed that straw ash contains 82.12 % of silica (SiO2). SAA (Surface Area Analyzer) analysis showed optimum composition ratio 5:5 of PVA: silica with surface area of 1.503 m2/g. Besides, based on the pore size distribution of PVA: silica (5:5) showed the narrow pore size distribution with the largest pore cumulative volume of 2.8 x 10-3 cc/g. The optimum pH for Methanyl Yellow adsorption is pH 2 with adsorption capacity = 72.1346%.

  13. A tribo-mechanical analysis of PVA-based building-blocks for implementation in a 2-layered skin model.

    PubMed

    Morales Hurtado, M; de Vries, E G; Zeng, X; van der Heide, E

    2016-09-01

    Poly(vinyl) alcohol hydrogel (PVA) is a well-known polymer widely used in the medical field due to its biocompatibility properties and easy manufacturing. In this work, the tribo-mechanical properties of PVA-based blocks are studied to evaluate their suitability as a part of a structure simulating the length scale dependence of human skin. Thus, blocks of pure PVA and PVA mixed with Cellulose (PVA-Cel) were synthesised via freezing/thawing cycles and their mechanical properties were determined by Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) and creep tests. The dynamic tests addressed to elastic moduli between 38 and 50kPa for the PVA and PVA-Cel, respectively. The fitting of the creep compliance tests in the SLS model confirmed the viscoelastic behaviour of the samples with retardation times of 23 and 16 seconds for the PVA and PVA-Cel, respectively. Micro indentation tests were also achieved and the results indicated elastic moduli in the same range of the dynamic tests. Specifically, values between 45-55 and 56-81kPa were obtained for the PVA and PVA-Cel samples, respectively. The tribological results indicated values of 0.55 at low forces for the PVA decreasing to 0.13 at higher forces. The PVA-Cel blocks showed lower friction even at low forces with values between 0.2 and 0.07. The implementation of these building blocks in the design of a 2-layered skin model (2LSM) is also presented in this work. The 2LSM was stamped with four different textures and their surface properties were evaluated. The hydration of the 2LSM was also evaluated with a corneometer and the results indicated a gradient of hydration comparable to the human skin. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Structure and properties of semi-interpenetrating network hydrogel based on starch.

    PubMed

    Zhu, Baodong; Ma, Dongzhuo; Wang, Jian; Zhang, Shuang

    2015-11-20

    Starch-g-P(acrylic acid-co-acrylamide)/PVA semi-interpenetrating network (semi-IPN) hydrogels were prepared by aqueous solution polymerization method. Starch grafting copolymerization reaction, semi-IPN structure and crystal morphology were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The PVA in the form of partial crystallization distributing in the gel matrix uniformly were observed by Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM). The space network structure, finer microstructure and pore size in the interior of hydrogel were presented by biomicroscope. The results demonstrated that absorption ratio of water and salt generated different degree changes with the effect of PVA. In addition, the mechanical strength of hydrogel was improved. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. IASON - Intelligent Activated Sludge Operated by Nanotechnology - Hydrogel Microcarriers in Wastewater Treatment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fleit, E.; Melicz, Z.; Sándor, D.; Zrínyi, M.; Filipcsei, G.; László, K.; Dékány, I.; Király, Z.

    Performance of biological wastewater treatment depends to a large extent on mechanical strength, size distribution, permeability and other textural properties of the activated sludge flocs. A novel approach was developed in applying synthetic polymer materials to organize floc architecture instead of spontaneously formed activated sludge floc. Developed microcarrier polymer materials were used in our experiments to mitigate technological goals. Preliminary results suggest that the PVA-PAA (polyvinyl alcohol-polyacrylic acid copolymer) is a feasible choice for skeleton material replacing "traditional" activated sludge floc. Use of PVA-PAA hydrogel material as microreactors and methods for biofilm formation of wastewater bacteria on the carrier material are described. Laboratory scale experimental results with microscopic size bioreactors and their potential application for simultaneous nitrification and denitrification are presented.

  16. Effect of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) on Ag-Cu nanopaste performance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Noordin, Norasiah Mohammad; Razak, Khairunisak Abd; Cheong, Kuan Yew

    2017-07-01

    Electronic devices used for extreme high temperature continue to be in demand, for instance in aviation, aerospace and automotive industry. The reliability of these devices strongly depends on electronic packaging. Die attach materials is vital in electronic packaging as it provides an interface in between a die and a substrate, and its quality will determine the performance of the devices. Nanopaste is one of categories classified in the die attach systems. It is a mixture of nano sized metal particles and organic additives (binder, surfactant, solvent). In this study, Ag and Cu nanoparticles was mixed into an organic binder system, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) serves as binder and ethylene glycol functions as surfactant while deionized water used to dissolve PVA. The mixture was inserted in vacuum oven at 70°C and then proceeds for sintering in horizontal tube furnace with various sintering temperature, a dwell time of 30 min and ramp rate of 5°C/min. The samples were then characterized using field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) to examine the morphology, X-ray diffraction (XRD) for phase identification, Four Point Probe to measure sheet resistance, and thermogravimetric and differential scanning calorimetry analysis (TGA/DSC) to study the thermal response with respect to temperature. These parameter were studied, the effect of PVA amount (0.10, 0.15, 0.20, 0.30, 0.40, 0.50 g) in Ag-Cu nanopaste formulation was visual inspected, the variation of drying time (20, 30, 40, 60, 80, 100, 120 min) in vacuum oven and sintering temperature (280, 300, 320, 340, 360, 380, 400°C) was recorded. The optimum condition for producing Ag-Cu nanopaste is by using 0.15 g of PVA in the Ag-Cu formulation, 30 min drying time and 340°C sintering temperature.

  17. Hygroscopicity of a sugarless coating layer formed by the interaction between mannitol and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA).

    PubMed

    Higuchi, Masaharu; Tanaka, Shouko; Tamura, Koichi; Sakata, Yukoh

    2014-11-01

    A sugarless layer that provides protection against moisture is formed on tablets when a coating solution comprising mannitol and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) is applied. The objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between the formation of such a sugarless layer and the resulting hygroscopic properties in order to derive an appropriate sugarless coating. The hygroscopicity of the sugarless layer is shown to be strongly affected by the addition of PVA, and has the lowest at concentration ratios between 15:2.5 and 15:4 (w/w) of mannitol and PVA. The polymorphic form of mannitol is different in formulations with different mannitol:PVA concentration ratios. Mannitol occurs in the α-form at mannitol:PVA concentration ratios between 15:1 and 15:4 (w/w). Moreover, PVA affects the molecular motions in the region associated with the OH stretch, OH deformation, and CH2 wag of mannitol. In particular, the molecular motions change considerably at mannitol:PVA concentration ratio of 15:2.5 and 15:4 (w/w). In addition, the surface state of the sugarless layer depends on the amount of PVA added, and exhibits the smoothest surface at a mannitol:PVA concentration ratio between 15:2.5 and 15:4 (w/w). Thus, the hygroscopicity is related to the surface states of the sugarless layer, which, in turn, is affected by the change in the molecular motions of mannitol due to the interactions between mannitol and PVA. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Electrospun PVA/Bentonite Nanocomposites Mats for Drug Delivery

    PubMed Central

    Ferrández-Rives, Mariola; Gómez Ribelles, José Luis

    2017-01-01

    Electrospun mats and films of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel are produced for drug delivery. To provide mechanical consistency to the gel a reinforcement by nanoclays is introduced in the polymer matrix. Four different suspensions of nanoparticles in the polymer solution are prepared in an adequate solvent. These suspensions are subjected to an electrospinning process to produce the nanofiber mat, while films are produced by casting. The influence of the process parameters over the nanofibers microstructure is analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The effectiveness of nanoclay encapsulation in the nanocomposites is tested by a thermogravimetric analysis. A crosslinking reaction in solution is carried out to prevent the dissolution of the nanocomposites in aqueous media. A model protein (bovine serum albumin, BSA) is absorbed in the nanocomposites to characterize the release kinetics in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). PMID:29261123

  19. Comparison of cell behavior on pva/pva-gelatin electrospun nanofibers with random and aligned configuration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Huang, Chen-Yu; Hu, Keng-Hsiang; Wei, Zung-Hang

    2016-12-01

    Electrospinning technique is able to create nanofibers with specific orientation. Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) have good mechanical stability but poor cell adhesion property due to the low affinity of protein. In this paper, extracellular matrix, gelatin is incorporated into PVA solution to form electrospun PVA-gelatin nanofibers membrane. Both randomly oriented and aligned nanofibers are used to investigate the topography-induced behavior of fibroblasts. Surface morphology of the fibers is studied by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with image analysis. Functional group composition in PVA or PVA-gelatin is investigated by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR). The morphological changes, surface coverage, viability and proliferation of fibroblasts influenced by PVA and PVA-gelatin nanofibers with randomly orientated or aligned configuration are systematically compared. Fibroblasts growing on PVA-gelatin fibers show significantly larger projected areas as compared with those cultivated on PVA fibers which p-value is smaller than 0.005. Cells on PVA-gelatin aligned fibers stretch out extensively and their intracellular stress fiber pull nucleus to deform. Results suggest that instead of the anisotropic topology within the scaffold trigger the preferential orientation of cells, the adhesion of cell membrane to gelatin have substantial influence on cellular behavior.

  20. The CRG-PVA hydrogels study of properties with various nanoparticles and their application for cultivation of phototrophic microorganisms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gorin, K. V.; Badranova, G. U.; Gotovtsev, P. M.; Shatalova, A. Yu; Grigoriev, T. E.; Krasheninnikov, S. V.; Tihomirov, S. A.; Kondratev, O. A.; Vishnevskaya, M. V.; Vasilov, R. G.

    2018-01-01

    In this work we are demonstrate results of researches of the hydrogels based on carrageenan and polyvinyl alcohols properties with various nanoparticles Al2O3 and ZrO2 and their application for phototrophic microorganisms Chlorella vulgaris cultivation. X-ray diffraction of samples was carried out. Research on the cultivation of microalgae using the developed hydrogels has also been conducted, and the increase in productivity with the use of gels on average by 20% compared to the control sample has been shown. The highest productivity is observed with concentration 0.5% of ZrO2 nanoparticles. We conclude that using of hydrogels in the developed photobioreactors possess a perspective.

  1. Analysis of friction between articular cartilage and polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel artificial cartilage.

    PubMed

    Li, Feng; Wang, Anmin; Wang, Chengtao

    2016-05-01

    Many biomaterials are being used to repair damaged articular cartilage. In particular, poly vinyl alcohol hydrogel has similar mechanical properties to natural cartilage under compressive and shearing loading. Here, three-factor and two-level friction experiments and long-term tests were conducted to better evaluate its tribological properties. The friction coefficient between articular cartilage and the poly vinyl alcohol hydrogel depended primarily on the three factors of load, speed, and lubrication. When the speed increased from 10 to 20 mm/s under a load of 10 N, the friction coefficient increased from 0.12 to 0.147. When the lubricant was changed from Ringer's solution to a hyaluronic acid solution, the friction coefficient decreased to 0.084 with loads as high as 22 N. The poly vinyl alcohol hydrogel was severely damaged and lost its top surface layers, which were transferred to the articular cartilage surface. Wear was observed in the surface morphologies, which indicated the occurrence of surface adhesion of bovine cartilage. Surface fatigue and adhesive wear was the dominant wear mechanism.

  2. Superabsorbent hydrogel composite based on copolymer cellulose/poly (vinyl alcohol)/CNT

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Khoerunnisa, Fitri, E-mail: fitri.khoerunnisa@gmail.com; Hendrawan,; Sonjaya, Yaya

    2016-04-19

    Superabsorbent hydrogels are cross-linked hydrophilic polymers that can absorb and retain a large volume of water, saline solution, or physiological fluids. A distinctive superabsorbent hydrogel composite based on cellulose/ poly (vinyl alcohol)/ carbon nanotubes was successfully synthesized via the graft bio-copolymerization in an aqueous medium with glutaraldehide as a crosslinking agent. The effect of carbon nanotubes (CNT) on water absorption capacity and mechanical properties of superabsorbent composite were particularly investigated. The Fourier transform infrared spectra showed the evidence of copolymerization of hydrogel precursors as well as the interaction of CNT filler with the hydrogel matrices, as indicated by the shiftingmore » of peak intensity and position of several functional groups (O-H, C-H sp{sup 3}, C=O, C-N, C-O). The modification of hydrogel surface morphology and porosity owing to CNT insertion was also confirmed by scanning electron microscopy images. The CNT insertion improved the mechanical strength of superabsorbent hydrogel composites. Moreover, insertion of CNT into hydrogel matrix remarkably increased the swelling capacity of superabsorbent composites up to 840%. This huge water absorption capacity of hydrogel composites offers promising applications in development of superabsorbent polymers.« less

  3. Sustained transdermal release of diltiazem hydrochloride through electron beam irradiated different PVA hydrogel membranes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bhunia, Tridib; Goswami, Luna; Chattopadhyay, Dipankar; Bandyopadhyay, Abhijit

    2011-08-01

    Extremely fast release of diltiazem hydrochloride (water soluble, anti anginal drug used to treat chest pain) together with its faster erosion has been the primary problem in conventional oral therapy. It has been addressed in this paper by encapsulating the drug in electron beam irradiated various poly (vinyl alcohol) hydrogel membranes and delivering it through transdermal route. Results show excellent control over the release of diltiazem hydrochloride through these membranes subject to their physico-mechanicals.

  4. Synthesis and Characterization of Fe3O4 Nanoparticles using Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) as Capping Agent and Glutaraldehyde (GA) as Crosslinker

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Budi Hutami Rahayu, Lale; Oktavia Wulandari, Ika; Herry Santjojo, Djoko; Sabarudin, Akhmad

    2018-01-01

    The use of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as a capping agent and glutaraldehyde (GA) as a crosslinker for a synthesis of magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles is able to reduce agglomeration of produced Fe3O4. Additionally, oxidation of Fe3O4 by air could be avoided. The synthesis is carried out in two steps: first step, magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles were prepared by dissolving the FeCl3.6H2O and FeCl2.4H2O in alkaline media (NH3.H2O). The second step, magnetite nanoparticles were coated with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and glutaraldehyde (GA) to obtain Fe3O4-PVA-GA. The latter material was then characterized by FTIR to determine the typical functional groups of magnetite coated with PVA-GA. X-ray Diffraction analysis was used to determine structure and size of crystal as well as the percentage of magnetite produced. It was found that the produced nanoparticles have crystal sizes around 4-9 nm with the cubic crystal structure. The percentage of magnetite phase increases when the amount of glutaraldehyde increased. SEM-EDX was employed to assess the surface morphology and elemental composition of the resulted nanoparticles. The magnetic character of the magnetite and Fe3O4- PVA-GA were studied using Electron Spin Resonance.

  5. Injectable alginate-O-carboxymethyl chitosan/nano fibrin composite hydrogels for adipose tissue engineering.

    PubMed

    Jaikumar, Dhanya; Sajesh, K M; Soumya, S; Nimal, T R; Chennazhi, K P; Nair, Shantikumar V; Jayakumar, R

    2015-03-01

    Injectable, biodegradable scaffolds are required for soft tissue reconstruction owing to its minimally invasive approach. Such a scaffold can mimic the native extracellular matrix (ECM), provide uniform distribution of cells and overcome limitations like donor site morbidity, volume loss, etc. So, here we report two classes of biocompatible and biodegradable hydrogel blend systems namely, Alginate/O-carboxymethyl chitosan (O-CMC) and Alginate/poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) with the inclusion of fibrin nanoparticles in each. The hydrogels were prepared by ionic cross-linking method. The developed hydrogels were compared in terms of its swelling ratio, degradation profile, compressive strength and elastic moduli. From these preliminary findings, it was concluded that Alginate/O-CMC formed a better blend for tissue engineering applications. The potential of the formed hydrogel as an injectable scaffold was revealed by the survival of adipose derived stem cells (ADSCs) on the scaffold by its adhesion, proliferation and differentiation into adipocytes. Cell differentiation studies of fibrin incorporated hydrogel scaffolds showed better differentiation was confirmed by Oil Red O staining technique. These injectable gels have potential in soft tissue regeneration. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Development of carboxymethyl cellulose-based hydrogel and nanosilver composite as antimicrobial agents for UTI pathogens.

    PubMed

    Alshehri, Saad M; Aldalbahi, Ali; Al-Hajji, Abdullah Baker; Chaudhary, Anis Ahmad; Panhuis, Marc In Het; Alhokbany, Norah; Ahamad, Tansir

    2016-03-15

    Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) containing hydrogel composite were first synthesized by preparing a new hydrogel from carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and the cross-linker ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (EGDE), followed by the incorporation of AgNPs by microwave radiation. The resulting neat hydrogels and AgNPs-hydrogel composites were characterized using spectral, thermal, microscopic analysis and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses. The SEM and TEM results demonstrated that the synthesized AgNPs were spherical with diameters ranging from 8 to 14nm. In addition, the XRD analysis confirmed the nanocrystalline phase of silver with face-centered cubic (FCC) crystal structure. Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis of the AgNPs confirmed the presence of an elemental silver signal, and no peaks of any other impurities were detected. Additionally, the antibacterial activities of the neat hydrogel and AgNPs-hydrogel composites were measured by Kirby-Bauer method against urinary tract infection (UTI) pathogens. The rheology measurement revealed that the values of storage modulus (G') were higher than that of loss modulus (G″). The AgNPs-hydrogel composites exhibited higher antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus vulgaris, Staphylococcus aureus and Proteus mirabilis compared to the corresponding neat hydrogel. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Ibuprofen loaded PVA/chitosan membranes: A highly efficient strategy towards an improved skin wound healing.

    PubMed

    Morgado, Patrícia I; Miguel, Sónia P; Correia, Ilídio J; Aguiar-Ricardo, Ana

    2017-03-01

    During wound healing, an early inflammation can cause an increase of the wound size and the healing process can be considerably belated if a disproportionate inflammatory response occurs. (S)-ibuprofen (IBP), a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent, has been used for muscle healing and to treat venous leg ulcers, but its effect in skin wound healing has not been thoroughly studied thus far. Herein, IBP-β-cyclodextrins carriers were designed to customise the release profile of IBP from poly(vinyl alcohol)/chitosan (PVA/CS) dressings in order to promote a faster skin regeneration. The dressings were produced using supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO 2 )-assisted technique. In vitro IBP release studies showed that β-cyclodextrins allowed a controlled drug release from the hydrogels which is crucial for their application in wound management. Moreover, the in vivo assays revealed that the presence of PVA/CS membranes containing IBP-β-cyclodextrins carriers avoided scab formation and an excessive inflammation, enabling an earlier skin healing. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Livestock air treatment using PVA-coated powdered activated carbon biofilter

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The efficacy of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) biofilters was studied using bench-scale biofilters and air from aerobically-treated swine manure. The PVA-coated powdered activated carbon particles showed excellent properties as a biofiltration medium: water holding capacity of 1.39 g H2O/g-dry PVA; wet por...

  9. Preparation, Structural and Dielectric Properties of Solution Grown Polyvinyl Alcohol(PVA) Film

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nangia, Rakhi; Shukla, Neeraj K.; Sharma, Ambika

    2017-08-01

    Flexible dielectrics with high permittivity have been investigated extensively due to their applications in electronic industry. In this work, structural and electrical characteristics of polymer based film have been analysed. Poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) film was prepared by solution casting method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) characterization technique is used to investigate the structural properties. The semi-crystalline nature has been determined by the analysis of the obtained XRD pattern. Electrical properties of the synthesized film have been analysed from the C-V and I-V curves obtained at various frequencies and temperatures. Low conductivity values confirm the insulating behaviour of the film. However, it is found that conductivity increases with temperature. Also, the dielectric permittivity is found to be higher at lower frequencies and higher temperatures, that proves PVA to be an excellent dielectric material which can be used in interface electronics. Dielectric behaviour of the film has been explained based on dipole orientations to slow and fast varying electric field. However further engineering can be done to modulate the structural, electrical properties of the film.

  10. DFT study of CdS-PVA film

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bala, Vaneeta; Tripathi, S. K.; Kumar, Ranjan

    2015-02-01

    Density functional theory has been applied to study cadmium sulphide-polyvinyl alcohol nanocomposite film. Structural models of two isotactic-polyvinyl alcohol (I-PVA) chains around one cadmium sulphide nanoparticle is considered in which each chain consists three monomer units of [-(CH2CH(OH))-]. All of the hydroxyl groups in I-PVA chains are directed to cadmium sulphide nanoparticle. Electronic and structural properties are investigated using ab-intio density functional code, SIESTA. Structural optimizations are done using local density approximations (LDA). The exchange correlation functional of LDA is parameterized by the Ceperley-Alder (CA) approach. The core electrons are represented by improved Troulier-Martins pseudopotentials. Densities of states clearly show the semiconducting nature of cadmium sulphide polyvinyl alcohol nanocomposite.

  11. Design of nanoengineered hybrid PVA/PNIPAm/CaCl2/SiO2-Polystyrene (PSt) colloidal crystal hydrogel coatings that sweat/rehydrate H2O from the atmosphere to give sustainable cooling and self-indicate their state

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Eloi, Jean-Charles; Worsley, Myles P.; Sermon, Paul A.; Healy, William; Dimech, Christine

    2016-09-01

    The potential for nanoengineering hybrid PVA hydrogel and hydrogel microsphere optical coatings is demonstrated with fine-tuning by the addition of (i) PNIPAm domains, (ii) water-hunting humectant CaCl2, and (ii) polystyrene or SiO2 colloidal crystals. The design and application onto substrates of the hydrogel scaffold is described. The addition of a temperature-triggered component as well as humectant and NIR reflectors are reported. The hybrid hydrogels appeared effective in sustainable adsorption cooling technology (ACT) over sustained periods. It is shown that the thermoresponsive (PNIPAm) domains act as an extra reserve, sweating water above 305K, prolonging the controlled release of water. It is also reported that the addition of humectant is crucial for the natural re-hydration of the hydrogels. For the moment PNIPAm microspheres have only short- lived ACT properties. Finally, coating with microspheres (MSs) in hydrogels produces a visible-NIR reflector effect that may allow optical feedback on ACT.

  12. Comparative analysis for evaluating the traceability of interventional devices using blood vessel phantom models made of PVA-H or silicone.

    PubMed

    Yu, Chang-Ho; Kwon, Tae-Kyu; Park, Chan Hee; Ohta, Makoto; Kim, Sung Hoon

    2015-01-01

    In this paper, we investigated the parameters with effective traceability to assess the mechanical properties of interventional devices. In our evaluation system, a box-shaped poly (vinyl alcohol) hydrogel (PVA-H) and silicone were prepared with realistic geometry, and the measurement and evaluation of traceability were carried out on devices using load hand force. The phantom models had a total of five curve pathways to reach the aneurysm sac. Traceability depends on the performance of the interventional devices in order to pass through the curved part of the model simulation track. The traceability of the guide wire was found to be much better than that of the balloon and stent loading catheter, as it reached the aneurysm sac in both phantom models. Observation using the video record is another advantage of our system, because the high transparency of the materials with silicone and PVA-H can allow visualization of the inside of an artery.

  13. Investigation of Magnetic Properties and Mechanical Responses on Hydrogel-TMAH-Magnetite

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sunaryono; Hidayat, M. F.; Insjaf, C.; Taufiq, A.; Mufti, N.; Munasir

    2018-05-01

    Hydrogel-TMAH-Magnetite (ferrogel) was fabricated by using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel and magnetite fluids with tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) surfactant. Iron sand as the raw material was used to synthesize magnetite nanoparticles by co-precipitation method. Magnetite nanoparticles and ferrogel were characterized using X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) to determine the content of elements in it. To know the functional group network of magnetite nanoparticles, magnetite enclosed with TMAH and ferrogel; we investigated using Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR). Meanwhile, the magnetic properties of the hydrogel-TMAH-magnetite were measured by using Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM). Furthermore, the composition analysis of the ferrogels using FTIR showed that all the synthesis materials were inside the ferrogels. The saturation magnetization of the hydrogel-TMAH-magnetite with a composition of TMAH 1.2 mL (3.95 emu·g-1) was higher than that of TMAH 0.8 mL (0.85 emu·g-1). It exhibited that the composition of TMAH 1.2 mL was an optimum composition to produce nanoparticle magnetite-TMAH having a stable and high performance. Furthermore, the magneto-elasticity of hydrogel-TMAH-magnetite in the effect of the external magnetic field had a good response. However, the composition of the nanoparticle magnetite-TMAH in the ferrogel did not significantly affect the elongation of the gel.

  14. Wound healing potential of a polyvinyl alcohol-blended pectin hydrogel containing Hippophae rahmnoides L. extract in a rat model.

    PubMed

    Kim, Jin; Lee, Chang-Moon

    2017-06-01

    In this study, we investigated the effect of a polyvinyl alcohol-blended pectin hydrogel (PVA-PT HG) containing the extracts of Hippophae rhamnoides L. (H. rhamnoides L.) leaves on wound healing in a rat model. The total phenolic content in the extract solution was 40.64±2.7 GAE mg/g and that of flavonoids was 13.15±1.8 QE mg/g. Of the total flavonoids in HGs, 61.6 and 50.0% were released at pH 5.5 and 7.4 after 60min. In rat acute wound models, the wound size was reduced significantly and the recovery rate was significantly higher after treatment with HG containing the extracts, compared with treatment with the control and HG only. The wound healing effects of the HG containing the extracts were confirmed by histological evaluation of the wound tissue. Therefore, HG containing extracts from H. rhamnoides L. leaves enhanced wound healing effectively, and so may be developed as a cover to promote wound healing. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Rapid Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) Detection of Sibutramine Hydrochloride in Pharmaceutical Capsules with a β-Cyclodextrin- Ag/Polyvivnyl Alcohol Hydrogel Substrate.

    PubMed

    Ouyang, Lei; Jiang, Zuyan; Wang, Nan; Zhu, Lihua; Tang, Heqing

    2017-07-10

    Sibutramine hydrochloride (SH) is a banned weight-loss drug, but its illegal addition to health products is still rampant. This suggests a very urgent need for a fast and precise detection method for SH. Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) is a promising candidate for this purpose, but the weak affinity between SH and bare metal limits its direct SERS detection. In the present work, β-cyclodextrin was capped in situ onto the surface of Ag nanoparticles to function as a scaffold to capture SH. The obtained Ag nanoparticles were encapsulated into polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to fabricate a SERS active hydrogel with excellent reproducibility. A facile SERS strategy based on such substrate was proposed for trace SH quantification with a linear range of 7.0-150.0 µg·mL -1 , and a detection limit low to 3.0 µg·mL -1 . It was applied to analyze seven types of commercial slimming capsules with satisfactory results, showing good prospect for real applications.

  16. Rapid Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) Detection of Sibutramine Hydrochloride in Pharmaceutical Capsules with a β-Cyclodextrin- Ag/Polyvivnyl Alcohol Hydrogel Substrate

    PubMed Central

    Ouyang, Lei; Jiang, Zuyan; Wang, Nan; Zhu, Lihua; Tang, Heqing

    2017-01-01

    Sibutramine hydrochloride (SH) is a banned weight-loss drug, but its illegal addition to health products is still rampant. This suggests a very urgent need for a fast and precise detection method for SH. Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) is a promising candidate for this purpose, but the weak affinity between SH and bare metal limits its direct SERS detection. In the present work, β-cyclodextrin was capped in situ onto the surface of Ag nanoparticles to function as a scaffold to capture SH. The obtained Ag nanoparticles were encapsulated into polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to fabricate a SERS active hydrogel with excellent reproducibility. A facile SERS strategy based on such substrate was proposed for trace SH quantification with a linear range of 7.0–150.0 µg·mL–1, and a detection limit low to 3.0 µg·mL−1. It was applied to analyze seven types of commercial slimming capsules with satisfactory results, showing good prospect for real applications. PMID:28698502

  17. Molecular modeling studies of structural properties of polyvinyl alcohol: a comparative study using INTERFACE force field.

    PubMed

    Radosinski, Lukasz; Labus, Karolina

    2017-10-05

    Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is a material with a variety of applications in separation, biotechnology, and biomedicine. Using combined Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics techniques, we present an extensive comparative study of second- and third-generation force fields Universal, COMPASS, COMPASS II, PCFF, and the newly developed INTERFACE, as applied to this system. In particular, we show that an INTERFACE force field provides a possibility of composing a reliable atomistic model to reproduce density change of PVA matrix in a narrow temperature range (298-348 K) and calculate a thermal expansion coefficient with reasonable accuracy. Thus, the INTERFACE force field may be used to predict mechanical properties of the PVA system, being a scaffold for hydrogels, with much greater accuracy than latter approaches. Graphical abstract Molecular Dynamics and Monte Carlo studies indicate that it is possible to predict properties of the PVA in narrow temperature range by using the INTERFACE force field.

  18. Poly(vinyl alcohol) gels as photoacoustic breast phantoms revisited.

    PubMed

    Xia, Wenfeng; Piras, Daniele; Heijblom, Michelle; Steenbergen, Wiendelt; van Leeuwen, Ton G; Manohar, Srirang

    2011-07-01

    A popular phantom in photoacoustic imaging is poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogel fabricated by freezing and thawing (F-T) aqueous solutions of PVA. The material possesses acoustic and optical properties similar to those of tissue. Earlier work characterized PVA gels in small test specimens where temperature distributions during F-T are relatively homogeneous. In this work, in breast-sized samples we observed substantial temperature differences between the shallow regions and the interior during the F-T procedure. We investigated whether spatial variations were also present in the acoustic and optical properties. The speed of sound, acoustic attenuation, and optical reduced scattering coefficients were measured on specimens sampled at various locations in a large phantom. In general, the properties matched values quoted for breast tissue. But while acoustic properties were relatively homogeneous, the reduced scattering was substantially different at the surface compared with the interior. We correlated these variations with gel microstructure inspected using scanning electron microscopy. Interestingly, the phantom's reduced scattering spatial distribution matches the optical properties of the standard two-layer breast model used in x ray dosimetry. We conclude that large PVA samples prepared using the standard recipe make excellent breast tissue phantoms.

  19. Standard Biocompatibility Studies Do Not Predict All Effects of PVA/CMC Anti-Adhesive Gel in vivo.

    PubMed

    Freytag, Christiane; Odermatt, Erich K

    2016-01-01

    PVA/CMC (polyvinyl alcohol/carboxymethyl cellulose) hydrogel fulfills various physiochemical properties required for an adhesion barrier and has shown good anti-adhesion properties in previous in vivo studies. In this investigation, we assessed the in vitro and in vivo biocompatibility of PVA/CMC gel and compared this to the functionality and promotion of wound healing for two surgical indications. Standardized ISO10993 in vitro and in vivo biocompatibility studies, comprising cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, acute systemic toxicity, delayed contact and maximization sensitization test, intracutaneous reactivity and local muscle implantation, were performed on PVA/CMC gel. In the functional studies, PVA/CMC gel was applied - on the one hand - to a rabbit abdominal wall model enforced with a polypropylene mesh for testing the anti-adhesion properties and - on the other hand - to an end- to-end anastomosis model that was selected for surveying potential influences of different dosages of PVA/CMC gel on anastomotic wound healing. The ISO10993 methods indicated generally good biocompatibility properties, such as the absence of cytotoxic and mutagenic effects as well as no signs of systemic toxicity and sensitization potentials. No irritation effects were observed after the intracutaneous injection of lipophilic PVA/CMC sesame oil extract. However, the injection of hydrophilic PVA/CMC physiologic saline extract induced slight irritation. Following rabbit muscle implantation of the PVA membrane for 2, 4, 12, 26 and 52 weeks, a slight irritant effect was observed at 12 weeks due to the peak of phagocytosis. In the functionality tests, PVA/CMC gel showed good anti-adhesive effects in the abdominal wall model enforced with the mesh, with significantly lower and less tense adhesions compared to the untreated control. However, moderate signs of inflammation, especially in the spleen were observed after the intra-abdominal implantation of 3.3 ml PVA/CMC gel per kg body weight. In

  20. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-cellulose nanofibril (CNF)-multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) hybrid organic aerogels with superior mechanical properties

    Treesearch

    Qifeng Zheng; Alireza Javadi; Ronald Sabo; Zhiyong Cai; Shaoqin Gong

    2013-01-01

    Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)–cellulose nanofibril (CNF)–multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) hybrid organic aerogels were prepared using an environmentally friendly freeze-drying process with renewable materials. The material properties of these “green” hybrid aerogels were characterized extensively using various techniques. It was found that adding a small amount of CNFs...

  1. Nanomechanical modeling of interfaces of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/clay nanocomposite

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Paliwal, Bhasker; Lawrimore, William B.; Chandler, Mei Q.; Horstemeyer, Mark F.

    2017-05-01

    We study interfacial debonding of several representative structures of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/pyrophillite-clay systems - both gallery-interface (polymer/clay interface in the interlayer region containing polymer between clay layers stacked parallel to each other) and matrix-interphase (polymer/clay interphase-region when individual clay layers are well separated and dispersed in the polymer matrix) - using molecular dynamics simulations, while explicitly accounting for shearing/sliding (i.e. Mode-II) deformation mode. Ten nanocomposite geometries (five 2-D periodic structures for tension and five 1-D periodic structures for shearing) were constructed to quantify the structure-property relations by varying the number density of polymer chains, length of polymer chains and model dimensions related to the interface deformation. The results were subsequently mapped into a cohesive traction-separation law, including evaluation of peak traction and work of separation that are used to characterise the interface load transfer for larger length scale micromechanical models. Results suggest that under a crack nucleation opening mode (i.e. Mode-I), the matrix-interphase exhibits noticeably greater strength and a greater work of separation compared to the gallery-interface; however, they were similar under the shearing/sliding mode of deformation. When compared to shearing/sliding, the tensile peak opening mode stresses were considerably greater but the displacement at the peak stress, the displacement at the final failure and the work of separation were considerably lower. Results also suggest that PVA/clay nanocomposites with higher degree of exfoliation compared with nanocomposites with higher clay-intercalation can potentially display higher strength under tension-dominated loading for a given clay volume fraction.

  2. Nanofibrous nonmulberry silk/PVA scaffold for osteoinduction and osseointegration.

    PubMed

    Bhattacharjee, Promita; Kundu, Banani; Naskar, Deboki; Maiti, Tapas K; Bhattacharya, Debasis; Kundu, Subhas C

    2015-05-01

    Poly-vinyl alcohol and nonmulberry tasar silk fibroin of Antheraea mylitta are blended to fabricate nanofibrous scaffolds for bone regeneration. Nanofibrous matrices are prepared by electrospinning the equal volume ratio blends of silk fibroin (2 and 4 wt%) with poly-vinyl alcohol solution (10 wt%) and designated as 2SF/PVA and 4SF/PVA, respectively with average nanofiber diameters of 177 ± 13 nm (2SF/PVA) and 193 ± 17 nm (4SF/PVA). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirms retention of the secondary structure of fibroin in blends indicating the structural stability of neo-matrix. Both thermal stability and contact angle of the blends decrease with increasing fibroin percentage. Conversely, fibroin imparts mechanical stability to the blends; greater tensile strength is observed with increasing fibroin concentration. Blended scaffolds are biodegradable and support well the neo-bone matrix synthesis by human osteoblast like cells. The findings indicate the potentiality of nanofibrous scaffolds of nonmulberry fibroin as bone scaffolding material. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  3. A versatile method for fabricating ion-exchange hydrogel nanofibrous membranes with superb biomolecule adsorption and separation properties.

    PubMed

    Lv, Huan; Wang, Xueqin; Fu, Qiuxia; Si, Yang; Yin, Xia; Li, Xiaoran; Sun, Gang; Yu, Jianyong; Ding, Bin

    2017-11-15

    Construction ion-exchange membranes with superb biomolecules adsorption and purification performance plays a greatly important role in the fields of biotechnological and biopharmaceutical industry, yet still remains an extremely challenging. Herein, we in situ synthesized the cis-butenedioic anhydride grafted poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel nanofibrous membranes (CBA-g-PVA HNFM) by combining electrospinning technique with the grafting-copolymerization crosslinking. Taking advantages of the large specific surface area which could provide numerous sites available for functional groups and biomolecules binding, highly tortuous and interconnected porous channel for biomolecules transfer, and enhanced mechanical strength, the resultant CBA-g-PVA HNFM exhibited relatively high binding amount of 170mgg -1 , rapid equilibrium time of 8h towards the biomolecule template of lysozyme, and the performance could be tailored by regulating the buffer properties and protein concentrations. Additionally, the resultant functional HNFM also possessed superior acid resistance property, excellent reversibility and regeneration performance. More importantly, the obtained CBA-g-PVA HNFM could directly extract lysozyme from fresh chicken eggs with capacity of 125mgg -1 , exhibiting excellent practical application properties. The fabrication of proposed CBA-g-PVA HNFM offers a feasible alternative for construction of ion-exchange chromatograph column for bio-separation and purification engineering. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Effect of borax concentration on the structure of Poly(Vinyl Alcohol) gels

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lawrence, Mathias B.; Desa, J. A. E.; Aswal, V. K.

    2012-06-01

    Poly(Vinyl Alcohol) hydrogels cross-linked with varying concentrations of borax have been studied using Small-Angle Neutron Scattering and X-Ray Diffraction. The intensity of scattering increases with borax concentration from 1 mg/ml up to 2 mg/ml and falls thereafter for 4 mg/ml, increasing again for a concentration of 10 mg/ml. The mesoscopic structural changes that cause these trends in the SANS data are in keeping with the variations in the X-ray diffraction patterns pertaining to structures within the PVA chains.

  5. Novel neomycin sulfate-loaded hydrogel dressing with enhanced physical dressing properties and wound-curing effect.

    PubMed

    Choi, Jong Seo; Kim, Dong Wuk; Kim, Dong Shik; Kim, Jong Oh; Yong, Chul Soon; Cho, Kwan Hyung; Youn, Yu Seok; Jin, Sung Giu; Choi, Han-Gon

    2016-10-01

    To develop a novel neomycin sulfate-loaded hydrogel dressing (HD), numerous neomycin sulfate-loaded HDs were prepared with various amounts of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) and sodium alginate (SA) using freeze-thawing technique, and their physical dressing properties, drug release, in vivo wound curing and histopathology in diabetic-induced rats were assessed. SA had a positive effect on a swelling capacity, but a negative effect on the physical dressing properties and drug release of HD. However, PVP did the opposite. In particular, the neomycin sulfate-loaded HD composed of drug, PVA, PVP and SA at the weight ratio of 1/10/0.8/0.8 had excellent swelling and bioadhesive capacity, good elasticity and fast drug release. Moreover, this HD gave more improved wound curing effect compared to the commercial product, ensured the disappearance of granulation tissue and recovered the wound tissue to normal. Therefore, this novel neomycin sulfate-loaded HD could be an effective pharmaceutical product for the treatment of wounds.

  6. Improved Skin Penetration Using In Situ Nanoparticulate Diclofenac Diethylamine in Hydrogel Systems: In Vitro and In Vivo Studies.

    PubMed

    Sengupta, Soma; Banerjee, Sarita; Sinha, Biswadip; Mukherjee, Biswajit

    2016-04-01

    Delivering diclofenac diethylamine transdermally by means of a hydrogel is an approach to reduce or avoid systemic toxicity of the drug while providing local action for a prolonged period. In the present investigation, a process was developed to produce nanosize particles (about 10 nm) of diclofenac diethylamine in situ during the development of hydrogel, using simple mixing technique. Hydrogel was developed with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) (5.8% w/w) and carbopol 71G (1.5% w/w). The formulations were evaluated on the basis of field emission scanning electron microscopy, texture analysis, and the assessment of various physiochemical properties. Viscosity (163-165 cps for hydrogel containing microsize drug particles and 171-173 cps for hydrogel containing nanosize drug particles, respectively) and swelling index (varied between 0.62 and 0.68) data favor the hydrogels for satisfactory topical applications. The measured hardness of the different hydrogels was uniform indicating a uniform spreadability. Data of in vitro skin (cadaver) permeation for 10 h showed that the enhancement ratios of the flux of the formulation containing nanosize drug (without the permeation enhancer) were 9.72 and 1.30 compared to the formulation containing microsized drug and the marketed formulations, respectively. In vivo plasma level of the drug increased predominantly for the hydrogel containing nanosize drug-clusters. The study depicts a simple technique for preparing hydrogel containing nanosize diclofenac diethylamine particles in situ, which can be commercially viable. The study also shows the advantage of the experimental transdermal hydrogel with nanosize drug particles over the hydrogel with microsize drug particles.

  7. Synthesis and characterization of CdS/PVA nanocomposite films

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Hongmei; Fang, Pengfei; Chen, Zhe; Wang, Shaojie

    2007-08-01

    A series CdS/PVA nanocomposite films with different amount of Cd salt have been prepared by means of the in situ synthesis method via the reaction of Cd 2+-dispersed poly vinyl-alcohol (PVA) with H 2S. The as-prepared films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) absorption, photoluminescence (PL) spectra, Fourier transform infrared spectroscope (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The XRD results indicated the formation of CdS nanoparticles with hexagonal phase in the PVA matrix. The primary FTIR spectra of CdS/PVA nanocomposite in different processing stages have been discussed. The vibrational absorption peak of Cd sbnd S bond at 405 cm -1 was observed, which further testified the generation of CdS nanoparticles. The TGA results showed incorporation of CdS nanoparticles significantly altered the thermal properties of PVA matrix. The photoluminescence and UV-vis spectroscopy revealed that the CdS/PVA films showed quantum confinement effect.

  8. Ultralight super-hydrophobic carbon aerogels based on cellulose nanofibers/poly(vinyl alcohol)/graphene oxide (CNFs/PVA/GO) for highly effective oil-water separation.

    PubMed

    Xu, Zhaoyang; Zhou, Huan; Tan, Sicong; Jiang, Xiangdong; Wu, Weibing; Shi, Jiangtao; Chen, Peng

    2018-01-01

    With the worsening of the oil-product pollution problem, oil-water separation has attracted increased attention in recent years. In this study, a porous three-dimensional (3D) carbon aerogel based on cellulose nanofibers (CNFs), poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and graphene oxide (GO) was synthesized by a facile and green approach. The resulting CNF/PVA/GO aerogels were synthesized through an environmentally friendly freeze-drying process and then carbonized to yield CNF/PVA/GO carbon aerogels with low density (18.41 mg cm -3 ), high porosity (98.98%), a water contact angle of 156° (super-hydrophobic) and high oil absorption capacity (97 times its own weight). The carbonization treatment of the CNF/PVA/GO aerogel not only improved the hydrophobic properties but also enhanced the adsorption capacity and specific surface area. Given the many good performance characteristics and the facile preparation process of carbon aerogels, these materials are viable candidates for use in oil-water separation and environmental protection.

  9. Thermal and mechanical analysis of PVA / sulfonated carbon nanotubes composite

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yadav, Vikrant; Sharma, Prem P.; Rajput, Abhishek; Kulshrestha, Vaibhav

    2018-04-01

    Nanocomposites of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and sulfonated carbon nanotubes (s-CNT) with enhanced properties were synthesized successfully. Effect of different amount of sulfonated nanotubes on thermal and mechanical properties of resultant nanocomposites derived from s-CNT and PVA were studied. Structural analysis for functionalization of CNT was done by using FTIR spectra. Thermal and mechanical analysis were done by using TGA, DSC and UTM. Nanocomposite containing s-CNT shows higher elastic moduli, higher melting temperature in consort with lower weight loss at same temperature, compared with pristine PVA. The novelty of this work is to use PVA/s-CNT based composites with improved thermomechanical properties in different nanotechnologies.

  10. Structural, optical and AFM characterization of PVA:La3+ polymer films

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ali, F. M.; Maiz, F.

    2018-02-01

    In this paper the structural and optical properties of pure Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and La3+-doped PVA films in the concentration range of 4%, 12% and 20% weight percent of Lanthanum were prepared by the conventional casting technique. X-ray diffraction pattern and atomic force microscopy studies of the investigated samples reveal their semi-crystalline nature. It is found that, absorption coefficient and cluster size of lanthanum:PVA composite increase with increasing salt concentration. However, the optical energy gap shows a slight decreasing trend.

  11. The effect of bacterial cellulose on the shape memory behavior of polyvinyl alcohol nanocomposite hydrogel

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pirahmadi, Pegah; Kokabi, Mehrdad

    2018-01-01

    Most research on shape memory polymers has been confined to neat polymers in their dry state, while, some hydrogel networks are known for their shape memory properties. Hydrogels have low glass transition temperatures which are below 100°C depend on the content of water. But they are usually weak and brittle, and not suitable for structural applications due to their low mechanical strengths because of these materials have large amount of water (>50%), so they could not remember original shape perfectly. Bacterial cellulose nanofibers with perfect properties such as high water holding capacity, high crystallinity, high tensile strength and good biocompatibility can dismiss all the drawbacks. In the present study, polyvinyl alcohol/bacterial cellulose nanocomposite hydrogel prepared by repetitive freezing-thawing method. The bacterial cellulose was used as reinforcement to improve the mechanical properties and stimuli response. Differential scanning calorimetry was employed to obtain the glass transition temperature. Nanocomposite morphology was characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy and mechanical properties were investigated by standard tensile test. Finally, the effect of bacterial cellulose nanofiber on shape memory behavior of polyvinyl alcohol/bacterial cellulose nanocomposite hydrogel was investigated. It is found that switching temperature of this system is the glass transition temperature of the nano domains formed within the system. The results also show increase of shape recovery, and shape recovery speed due to presence of bacterial cellulose.

  12. The role of hydrogels in the radical production of the Fricke-gel-dosimeter

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lazzaroni, S.; Liosi, G. M.; D'Agostino, G.; Marconi, R. P.; Mariani, M.; Buttafava, A.; Dondi, D.

    2018-01-01

    The radiolysis mechanism of the Fricke-gel-dosimeters has been investigated in order to evaluate the role of hydrogels in the radical production. For this purpose, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra were acquired for samples frozen and irradiated at 77 K. The analysis was performed by increasing stepwise the temperature and acquiring the EPR spectra at 120 K in order to follow the radical reaction mechanism. The comparison between aqueous- and gel- dosimeters were performed. Both gelatin from porcine skin and PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) were investigated as gel matrix. Different radical species were identified and qualitatively compared. For gel matrix, peroxyl radicals, stemming from the hydrogel, play an important role in the survival of radicals at higher temperature. Moreover, the Fe3+ EPR signal has been studied and compared with the radicals concentration. From this comparison, it is evident the increase of Fe3+ concentration is shifted toward higher temperatures with respect to the radical decay. To explain this phenomenon, the intervention of EPR silent species like peroxides is supposed.

  13. Dielectric and electrical study of PPy doped PVA-PVP films

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jha, Sushma; Tripathi, Deepti

    2018-05-01

    Dielectric parameters of free standing films of pure PVA (PolyvinylAlcohol) and PVA with varying concentrations of PVP(Polyvinylpyrrolidone) and Polypyrrole were prepared and studied in low frequency range (100Hz - 2MHz). The results show that dielectric constant, loss tangent and conductivity increase sharply on increasing the concentration of PVP above 50wt% in polymer matrix. PVA-PVP film with low concentration of PPy showed improvement in the values of complex permittivity, loss tangent and ac conductivity within the experimental frequency range. This eco - friendly polymeric material will be studied for its probable application for RFI/EMI shielding, biosensors, capacitors & insulation purposes.

  14. Chondrocyte differentiation for auricular cartilage reconstruction using a chitosan based hydrogel.

    PubMed

    García-López, J; Garciadiego-Cázares, D; Melgarejo-Ramírez, Y; Sánchez-Sánchez, R; Solís-Arrieta, L; García-Carvajal, Z; Sánchez-Betancourt, J I; Ibarra, C; Luna-Bárcenas, G; Velasquillo, C

    2015-12-01

    Tissue engineering with the use of biodegradable and biocompatible scaffolds is an interesting option for ear repair. Chitosan-Polyvinyl alcohol-Epichlorohydrine hydrogel (CS-PVA-ECH) is biocompatible and displays appropriate mechanical properties to be used as a scaffold. The present work, studies the potential of CS-PVA-ECH scaffolds seeded with chondrocytes to develop elastic cartilage engineered-neotissues. Chondrocytes isolated from rabbit and swine elastic cartilage were independently cultured onto CS-PVA-ECH scaffolds for 20 days to form the appropriate constructs. Then, in vitro cell viability and morphology were evaluated by calcein AM and EthD-1 assays and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) respectively, and the constructs were implanted in nu/nu mice for four months, in order to evaluate the neotissue formation. Histological analysis of the formed neotissues was performed by Safranin O, Toluidine blue (GAG's), Verhoeff-Van Gieson (elastic fibers), Masson's trichrome (collagen) and Von Kossa (Calcium salts) stains and SEM. Results indicate appropriate cell viability, seeded with rabbit or swine chondrocyte constructs; nevertheless, upon implantation the constructs developed neotissues with different characteristics depending on the animal species from which the seeded chondrocytes came from. Neotissues developed from swine chondrocytes were similar to auricular cartilage, while neotissues from rabbit chondrocytes were similar to hyaline cartilage and eventually they differentiate to bone. This result suggests that neotissue characteristics may be influenced by the animal species source of the chondrocytes isolated.

  15. Dichromated polyvinyl alcohol (DC-PVA) wet processed for high index modulation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rallison, Richard D.

    1997-04-01

    PVA films have been used as mold releases, strippable coatings, binders for photopolymers and when sensitized with metals and/or dyes they have been used as photoresists, volume HOEs, multiplexed holographic optical memory and real time non destructive holographic testing. The list goes on and includes Slime and birth control. In holography, DC-PVA is a real time photoanisotropic recording material useful for phase conjugation experiments and also a stable long term storage medium needing no processing other than heat. Now we add the capability of greatly increasing the versatility of PVA by boosting the index modulation by almost two orders of magnitude. We can add broadband display and HOE applications that were not possible before. Simple two or three step liquid processing is all that is required to make the index modulation grow.

  16. Low doping concentration studies of doped PVA-Coumarin nanocomposite films

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Tripathi, J., E-mail: jtripathi00@rediffmail.com; Bisen, R.; Choudhary, A.

    2016-05-23

    The observations of combination of Poly (vinyl) alcohol and Coumarin properties in nanocmposite films are reported. The X-ray diffraction measurements reveal nanocrystalline nature of PVA film, which remains nanocrystalline after doping Coumarin but along with PVA peaks, additional peak due to dopant crystallinity is seen. The absorption edge shows a double edge feature, where distinct bandgaps for PVA host and dopant Coumarin are obtained. However at a higher doping wt % of 1 and 2, the absorption is mainly dominated by Coumarin and single absorption edge is observed giving a bandgap equal to that of bulk Coumarin (3.3 eV). Themore » composite formation affects the bonding of host drastically and is seen through the bond modification in FTIR spectra. The results suggest that doping below 2 wt% is advantageous as combination of PVA and Coumarin properties are obtained but at 2 wt %, the properties are dominated by mainly Coumarin and the signature of PVA from optical properties is completely lost.« less

  17. Low doping concentration studies of doped PVA-Coumarin nanocomposite films

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tripathi, J.; Tripathi, S.; Bisen, R.; Sharma, A.; Choudhary, A.; Shripathi, T.

    2016-05-01

    The observations of combination of Poly (vinyl) alcohol and Coumarin properties in nanocmposite films are reported. The X-ray diffraction measurements reveal nanocrystalline nature of PVA film, which remains nanocrystalline after doping Coumarin but along with PVA peaks, additional peak due to dopant crystallinity is seen. The absorption edge shows a double edge feature, where distinct bandgaps for PVA host and dopant Coumarin are obtained. However at a higher doping wt % of 1 and 2, the absorption is mainly dominated by Coumarin and single absorption edge is observed giving a bandgap equal to that of bulk Coumarin (3.3 eV). The composite formation affects the bonding of host drastically and is seen through the bond modification in FTIR spectra. The results suggest that doping below 2 wt% is advantageous as combination of PVA and Coumarin properties are obtained but at 2 wt %, the properties are dominated by mainly Coumarin and the signature of PVA from optical properties is completely lost.

  18. A Study of Cross-linked Regions of Poly(Vinyl Alcohol) Gels by Small-Angle Neutron Scattering

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lawrence, Mathias B.; Desa, J. A. E.; Aswal, V. K.

    2011-07-01

    A poly(vinyl alcohol)-borax cross-linked hydrogel has been studied by Small Angle Neutron Scattering as a function of borax concentration in the wave-vector transfer (Q) range of 0.017 Å-1 to 0.36 Å-1. It is found that as the concentration of borax increases, so does the intensity of scattering in this range. Beyond a borax concentration of 2 mg/ml, the increase in cross-linked PVA chains leads to cross-linked units larger than 150 Å as evidenced by a reduction in intensity in the lower Q region.

  19. New multifunctional materials obtained by the intercalation of anionic dyes into layered zinc hydroxide nitrate followed by dispersion into poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA).

    PubMed

    Marangoni, Rafael; Ramos, Luiz Pereira; Wypych, Fernando

    2009-02-15

    Different anionic blue and orange dyes have been immobilized on a zinc hydroxide nitrate (Zn(5)(OH)(8)(NO(3))(2)nH(2)O--Zn-OH-NO(3)) by anion exchange with interlayer and/or outer surface nitrate ions of the layered matrix. Orange G (OG) was totally intercalated, orange II (OII) was partially intercalated, while Niagara blue 3B (NB) and Evans blue (EV) were only adsorbed at the outer surface. Several composite films of poly(vinyl alcohol)--PVA were prepared by casting through the dispersion of the hybrid material (Zn-OH-OG) into a PVA aqueous solution and evaporation of water in a vacuum oven. The obtained composite films were transparent, colored, and capable of absorbing UV radiation. Improved mechanical properties were also obtained in relation to the nonfilled PVA films. These results demonstrate the onset of a new range of potential applications for layered hydroxide salts in the preparation of polymer composite multifunctional materials.

  20. Perfusion directed 3D mineral formation within cell-laden hydrogels.

    PubMed

    Sawyer, Stephen William; Shridhar, Shivkumar Vishnempet; Zhang, Kairui; Albrecht, Lucas; Filip, Alex; Horton, Jason; Soman, Pranav

    2018-06-08

    Despite the promise of stem cell engineering and the new advances in bioprinting technologies, one of the major challenges in the manufacturing of large scale bone tissue scaffolds is the inability to perfuse nutrients throughout thick constructs. Here, we report a scalable method to create thick, perfusable bone constructs using a combination of cell-laden hydrogels and a 3D printed sacrificial polymer. Osteoblast-like Saos-2 cells were encapsulated within a gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) hydrogel and 3D printed polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) pipes were used to create perfusable channels. A custom-built bioreactor was used to perfuse osteogenic media directly through the channels in order to induce mineral deposition which was subsequently quantified via microCT. Histological staining was used to verify mineral deposition around the perfused channels, while COMSOL modeling was used to simulate oxygen diffusion between adjacent channels. This information was used to design a scaled-up construct containing a 3D array of perfusable channels within cell-laden GelMA. Progressive matrix mineralization was observed by cells surrounding perfused channels as opposed to random mineral deposition in static constructs. MicroCT confirmed that there was a direct relationship between channel mineralization within perfused constructs and time within the bioreactor. Furthermore, the scalable method presented in this work serves as a model on how large-scale bone tissue replacement constructs could be made using commonly available 3D printers, sacrificial materials, and hydrogels. © 2018 IOP Publishing Ltd.

  1. Redox-Active Hydrogel Polymer Electrolytes with Different pH Values for Enhancing the Energy Density of the Hybrid Solid-State Supercapacitor.

    PubMed

    Tang, Xiaohui; Lui, Yu Hui; Merhi, Abdul Rahman; Chen, Bolin; Ding, Shaowei; Zhang, Bowei; Hu, Shan

    2017-12-27

    To enhance the energy density of solid-state supercapacitors, a novel solid-state cell, made of redox-active poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogel electrolytes and functionalized carbon nanotube-coated cellulose paper electrodes, was investigated in this work. Briefly, acidic PVA-[BMIM]Cl-lactic acid-LiBr and neutral PVA-[BMIM]Cl-sodium acetate-LiBr hydrogel polymer electrolytes are used as catholyte and anolyte, respectively. The acidic condition of the catholyte contributes to suppression of the undesired irreversible reaction of Br - and extension of the oxygen evolution reaction potential to a higher value than that of the redox potential of Br - /Br 3 - reaction. The observed Br - /Br 3 - redox activity at the cathode contributes to enhance the cathode capacitance. The neutral condition of the anolyte helps extend the operating voltage window of the supercapacitor by introducing hydrogen evolution reaction overpotential to the anode. The electrosorption of nascent H on the negative electrode also increases the anode capacitance. As a result, the prepared solid-state hybrid supercapacitor shows a broad voltage window of 1.6 V, with a high Coulombic efficiency of 97.6% and the highest energy density of 16.3 Wh/kg with power density of 932.6 W/kg at 2 A/g obtained. After 10 000 cycles of galvanostatic charge and discharge tests at the current density of 10 A/g, it exhibits great cyclic stability with 93.4% retention of the initial capacitance. In addition, a robust capacitive performance can also be observed from the solid-state supercapacitor at different bending angles, indicating its great potential as a flexible energy storage device.

  2. Biochemistry of microbial polyvinyl alcohol degradation.

    PubMed

    Kawai, Fusako; Hu, Xiaoping

    2009-08-01

    Effect of minor chemical structures such as 1,2-diol content, ethylene content, tacticity, a degree of polymerization, and a degree of saponification of the main chain on biodegradability of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is summarized. Most PVA-degraders are Gram-negative bacteria belonging to the Pseudomonads and Sphingomonads, but Gram-positive bacteria also have PVA-degrading abilities. Several examples show symbiotic degradation of PVA by different mechanisms. Penicillium sp. is the only reported eukaryotic degrader. A vinyl alcohol oligomer-utilizing fungus, Geotrichum fermentans WF9101, has also been reported. Lignolytic fungi have displayed non-specific degradation of PVA. Extensive published studies have established a two-step process for the biodegradation of PVA. Some bacteria excrete extracellular PVA oxidase to yield oxidized PVA, which is partly under spontaneous depolymerization and is further metabolized by the second step enzyme (hydrolase). On the other hand, PVA (whole and depolymerized to some extent) must be taken up into the periplasmic space of some Gram-negative bacteria, where PVA is oxidized by PVA dehydrogenase, coupled to a respiratory chain. The complete pva operon was identified in Sphingopyxis sp. 113P3. Anaerobic biodegradability of PVA has also been suggested.

  3. Influence of Food with High Moisture Content on Oxygen Barrier Property of Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA)/Vermiculite Nanocomposite Coated Multilayer Packaging Film.

    PubMed

    Kim, Jung Min; Lee, Min Hyeock; Ko, Jung A; Kang, Dong Ho; Bae, Hojae; Park, Hyun Jin

    2018-02-01

    This study investigates the potential complications in applying nanoclay-based waterborne coating to packaging films for food with high moisture content. Multilayer packaging films were prepared by dry laminating commercially available polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/vermiculite nanocomposite coating films and linear low-density polyethylene film, and the changes in oxygen barrier properties were investigated according to different relative humidity using 3 types of food simulants. When the relative humidity was above 60%, the oxygen permeability increased sharply, but this was reversible. Deionized water and 3% acetic acid did not cause any large structural change in the PVA/vermiculite nanocomposite but caused a reversible deterioration of the oxygen barrier properties. In contrast, 50% ethanol, a simulant for the semifatty food, induced irreversible structural changes with deterioration of the oxygen barrier property. These changes are due to the characteristics of PVA rather than vermiculite. We believe this manuscript would be of interest to the wide group of researchers, organizations, and companies in the field of developing nanoclay-based gas barrier packaging for foods with high moisture content. Hence, we wish to diffuse our knowledge to the scientific community. © 2018 Institute of Food Technologists®.

  4. Ex-Situ Synthesis of Polyvinyl alcohol(PVA)-coated Fe3O4 Nanoparticles by Coprecipitation-Ultrasonication Method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Riva'i, Imam; Oktavia Wulandari, Ika; Sulistyarti, Hermin; Sabarudin, Akhmad

    2018-01-01

    In this study, the synthesis of Fe3O4 nanoparticles was done with surface modification using PVA with coprecipitation-ultrasonication method. Time variations and PVA concentrations were added to determine the effect on crystallite size and lattice parameters on the synthesis of Fe3O4-PVA nanoparticles. Fe3O4 characterization was done using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) instruments. FTIR was employed to determine PVA coating on the surface of Fe3O4 nanoparticles. The crystallite size and lattice parameters were analyzed using XRD. From the FTIR data, it is known that the interaction between PVA and Fe3O4 nanoparticles is characterized by Fe-O-C group at 1100 cm-1 region which is characteristic of Fe3O4-PVA nanoparticles, C-H groups of PVA in the range of 2950 cm-1 wave number, C-C of PVA regions of wave number 1405 cm-1, Fe3O4 and Fe3O4-PVA samples are in the range of 565 cm-1. In addition, the variation of ultrasonication time and the addition of PVA concentration have an effect on the crystallite size change and the lattice parameter observed from the XRD data. The use of ultrasonication time will affect the size of the crystallite become smaller and the grating lattice parameters obtained are wider. The effect of addition of PVA showed that higher concentration of PVA resulted in smaller crystallite size and larger lattice parameters. These results indicated that ultrasonication time and addition of PVA concentration greatly affect the characteristics of nanoparticles.

  5. Viscoelastic Properties and Morphology of Mumio-based Medicated Hydrogels

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zandraa, Oyunchimeg; Jelínková, Lenka; Roy, Niladri; Sáha, Tomáš; Kitano, Takeshi; Saha, Nabanita

    2011-07-01

    Novel medicated hydrogels were prepared (by moist heat treatment) with PVA, agar, mumio, mare's milk (MM), seabuckthorn oil (SB oil) and salicylic acid (SA) for wound dressing/healing application. Scanning electron micrographs (SEM) show highly porous structure of these hydrogels. The swelling behaviour of the hydrogels in physiological solution displays remarkable liquid absorption property. The knowledge obtained from rheological investigations of these-systems may be highly useful for the characterization of the newly developed topical formulations. In the present study, an oscillation frequency sweep test was used for the evaluation of storage modulus (G'), loss modulus (G″), and complex viscosity (η*) of five different formulations, over an angular frequency range from 0.1 to 100 rad.s-1. The influence of healing agents and swelling effect on the rheological properties of mumio-based medicated hydrogels was investigated to judge its application on uneven surface of body.

  6. Conductivity measurements on CdCl2 doped PVA solid polymeric electrolyte for battery application

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Baraker, Basavarajeshwari M.; Lobo, Blaise

    2018-04-01

    Ionic conductivity of pure polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and 6.3 wt% of CdCl2 doped PVA solid polymeric electrolyte have been studied using DC and AC electrical measurements. From DC electrical results, the determination transference number confirmed that ions are the dominant charge carriers in CdCl2 doped PVA. Interestingly, the ion transference number (ti) for 6.3 wt% CdCl2 doped sample is significantly more (0.993), when compared to that of pure PVA (for which, ti is 0.988). Temperature dependent dielectric studies showed interesting results at different frequencies: 120 Hz, 500 Hz, 1 kHz, 5 kHz, 10 kHz and 100 kHz.

  7. Effect of PVA fiber content on creep property of fiber reinforced high-strength concrete columns

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xu, Zongnan; Wang, Tao; Wang, Weilun

    2018-04-01

    The effect of PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) fiber content on the creep property of fiber reinforced high-strength concrete columns was investigated. The correction factor of PVA fiber content was proposed and the creep prediction model of ACI209 was modified. Controlling the concrete strength as C80, changing the content of PVA fiber (volume fraction 0%, 0.25%, 0.5%, 1% respectively), the creep experiment of PVA fiber reinforced concrete columns was carried out, the creep coefficient of each specimen was calculated to characterize the creep property. The influence of PVA fiber content on the creep property was analyzed based on the creep coefficient and the calculation results of several frequently used creep prediction models. The correction factor of PVA fiber content was proposed to modify the ACI209 creep prediction model.

  8. Fabrication of electrospun almond gum/PVA nanofibers as a thermostable delivery system for vanillin.

    PubMed

    Rezaei, Atefe; Tavanai, Hossein; Nasirpour, Ali

    2016-10-01

    In this study, the fabrication of vanillin incorporated almond gum/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanofibers through electrospinning has been investigated. Electrospinning of only almond gum was proved impossible. It was found that the aqueous solution of almond gum/PVA (80:20, concentration=7% (w/w)) containing 3% (w/w) vanillin could have successfully electrospun to uniform nanofibers with diameters as low as 77nm. According to the thermal analysis, incorporated vanillin in almond gum/PVA nanofibers showed higher thermal stability than free vanillin, making this composite especially suitable for high temperature applications. XRD and FTIR analyses proved the presence of vanillin in the almond gum/PVA nanofibers. It was also found that vanillin was dispersed as big crystallites in the matrix of almond gum/PVA nanofibers. FTIR analysis showed almond gum and PVA had chemical cross-linking by etheric bonds between COH groups of almond gum and OH groups of PVA. Also, in the nanofibers, there were no major interaction between vanillin and either almond gum or PVA. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Biodegradable and bioactive CGP/PVA film for fungal growth inhibition.

    PubMed

    Silva, Bárbara Dumas S; Ulhoa, Cirano J; Batista, Karla A; Di Medeiros, Maria Carolina; Da Silva Filho, Rômulo Roosevelt; Yamashita, Fabio; Fernandes, Kátia F

    2012-07-01

    In this study, chitinolytic enzymes produced by Trichoderma asperellum were immobilized on a biodegradable film manufactured with a blend of cashew gum polysaccharide (CGP) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and tested as a fungal growth inhibitor. The film was produced by casting a blend of CGP and PVA solution on glass molds. The CGP/PVA film showed 68% water solubility, tensile strength of 23.7 MPa, 187.2% elongation and 52% of mass loss after 90 days in soil. The presence of T-CWD enzymes immobilized by adsorption or covalent attachment resulted in effective inhibition of fungal growth. Sclerotinia sclerotiorum was the most sensitive organism, followed by Aspergillus niger and Penicillium sp. SEM micrograph showed that the presence of immobilized T-CWD enzymes on CGP/PVA film produced morphological modifications on vegetative and germinative structures of the microorganisms, particularly hyphae disruption and changes of spores shape. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Structure and sorption properties of CNC reinforced PVA films.

    PubMed

    Popescu, Maria-Cristina

    2017-08-01

    Bio-nanocomposite films based on cellulose nanocrystals reinforced poly(vinyl alcohol) were obtained by solvent casting method. To assess the structural features of the films, different spectral techniques (FTIR, 2D COS and XRD) have been used. Infrared and 2D correlation spectroscopy evidenced the presence of H-bond interactions between the PVA and CNC, and the variation in the conformational rearrangements, while XRD showed that the crystallite size and the crystallinity degree were affected by the incorporation of CNC. At low content of CNC in the PVA matrix, the crystallinity degree decreased to 29.9%, while at higher CNC content increased to 80.6%, comparing to PVA (35.4%). To evaluate the interaction with water, contact angle measurement, water sorption and NIR spectroscopy were used, respectively. The increase of the CNC content induced a reduction in water sorption ability from 93% for PVA to 75% for PVA/CNC films, indicating the involvement of the hydroxyl groups in new hydrogen bonded interactions. By analyzing the variation of the NIR bands from 1930, 1902 and 1985nm, was observed that the water molecules interact with the polymer matrix through moderate hydrogen bond before diffusing into the free volume of the matrix and form stronger hydrogen bonds. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. An experimental and finite element poroelastic creep response analysis of an intervertebral hydrogel disc model in axial compression.

    PubMed

    Silva, P; Crozier, S; Veidt, M; Pearcy, M J

    2005-07-01

    A hydrogel intervertebral disc (IVD) model consisting of an inner nucleus core and an outer anulus ring was manufactured from 30 and 35% by weight Poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel (PVA-H) concentrations and subjected to axial compression in between saturated porous endplates at 200 N for 11 h, 30 min. Repeat experiments (n=4) on different samples (N=2) show good reproducibility of fluid loss and axial deformation. An axisymmetric nonlinear poroelastic finite element model with variable permeability was developed using commercial finite element software to compare axial deformation and predicted fluid loss with experimental data. The FE predictions indicate differential fluid loss similar to that of biological IVDs, with the nucleus losing more water than the anulus, and there is overall good agreement between experimental and finite element predicted fluid loss. The stress distribution pattern indicates important similarities with the biological IVD that includes stress transference from the nucleus to the anulus upon sustained loading and renders it suitable as a model that can be used in future studies to better understand the role of fluid and stress in biological IVDs.

  12. Eco-friendly polyvinyl alcohol/carboxymethyl cellulose hydrogels reinforced with graphene oxide and bentonite for enhanced adsorption of methylene blue.

    PubMed

    Dai, Hongjie; Huang, Yue; Huang, Huihua

    2018-04-01

    Eco-friendly polyvinyl alcohol/carboxymethyl cellulose (isolated from pineapple peel) hydrogels reinforced with graphene oxide and bentonite were prepared as efficient adsorbents for methylene blue (MB). The structure and morphology of the prepared hydrogels were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetry (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Introducing graphene oxide and bentonite into the hydrogels evidently enhanced the thermal stability, swelling ability and MB adsorption capacity. The effects of initial concentration of MB, pH, contact time and temperature on MB adsorption capacity of the prepared hydrogels were investigated. Adsorption kinetics and equilibrium adsorption isotherm fitted pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir isotherm model well, respectively. After introducing graphene oxide and bentonite into the hydrogels, the maximum adsorption capacity calculated from the Langmuir isotherm model reached 172.14 mg/g at 30 °C, obviously higher than the hydrogels prepared without these additions (83.33 mg/g). Furthermore, all the prepared hydrogels also displayed good reusability for the efficient removal of MB. Consequently, the prepared hydrogels could be served as eco-friendly, stable, efficient and reusable adsorbents for anionic dyes in wastewater treatment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. In-Silico Design, Synthesis and Evaluation of a Nanostructured Hydrogel as a Dimethoate Removal Agent.

    PubMed

    Avila-Salas, Fabian; Marican, Adolfo; Villaseñor, Jorge; Arenas-Salinas, Mauricio; Argandoña, Yerko; Caballero, Julio; Durán-Lara, Esteban F

    2018-01-04

    This study describes the in-silico design, synthesis, and evaluation of a cross-linked PVA hydrogel (CLPH) for the absorption of organophosphorus pesticide dimethoate from aqueous solutions. The crosslinking effectiveness of 14 dicarboxilic acids was evaluated through in-silico studies using semiempirical quantum mechanical calculations. According to the theoretical studies, the nanopore of PVA cross-linked with malic acid (CLPH-MA) showed the best interaction energy with dimethoate. Later, using all-atom molecular dynamics simulations, three hydrogels with different proportions of PVA:MA (10:2, 10:4, and 10:6) were used to evaluate their interactions with dimethoate. These results showed that the suitable crosslinking degree for improving the affinity for the pesticide was with 20% ( W %) of the cross-linker. In the experimental absorption study, the synthesized CLPH-MA20 recovered 100% of dimethoate from aqueous solutions. Therefore, the theoretical data were correlated with the experimental studies. Surface morphology of CLPH-MA20 by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was analyzed. In conclusion, the ability of CLPH-MA20 to remove dimethoate could be used as a technological alternative for the treatment of contaminated water.

  14. In-Silico Design, Synthesis and Evaluation of a Nanostructured Hydrogel as a Dimethoate Removal Agent

    PubMed Central

    Avila-Salas, Fabian; Marican, Adolfo; Villaseñor, Jorge; Argandoña, Yerko

    2018-01-01

    This study describes the in-silico design, synthesis, and evaluation of a cross-linked PVA hydrogel (CLPH) for the absorption of organophosphorus pesticide dimethoate from aqueous solutions. The crosslinking effectiveness of 14 dicarboxilic acids was evaluated through in-silico studies using semiempirical quantum mechanical calculations. According to the theoretical studies, the nanopore of PVA cross-linked with malic acid (CLPH-MA) showed the best interaction energy with dimethoate. Later, using all-atom molecular dynamics simulations, three hydrogels with different proportions of PVA:MA (10:2, 10:4, and 10:6) were used to evaluate their interactions with dimethoate. These results showed that the suitable crosslinking degree for improving the affinity for the pesticide was with 20% (W%) of the cross-linker. In the experimental absorption study, the synthesized CLPH-MA20 recovered 100% of dimethoate from aqueous solutions. Therefore, the theoretical data were correlated with the experimental studies. Surface morphology of CLPH-MA20 by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was analyzed. In conclusion, the ability of CLPH-MA20 to remove dimethoate could be used as a technological alternative for the treatment of contaminated water. PMID:29300312

  15. Optical studies of CdSe/PVA nanocomposite films

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kushwaha, Kamal Kumar; Ramrakhaini, Meera

    2018-05-01

    The nanocomposite films of CdSe nanocrystals in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) matrix were synthesized by environmental friendly chemical method. These composites were characterized by X-ray diffraction which indicates the hexagonal crystalline structure of CdSe with crystal size up to a few nm. The crystal size is found to decrease by increasing PVA Concentration. The photoluminescence (PL) characteristics of these composite films with varying concentration of PVA as well as Cd2+ content have been investigated. The PL peak of CdSe was observed at 510 nm and higher intensity is observed by increasing PVA concentration without any change in position of PL peak. Due to proper passivation of surface states non-radiative transition are reduced which enhance the PL intensity. By increasing concentration of Cd2+ content in the CdSe/PVA nanocomposite films, smaller CdSe nanocrystals were obtained giving higher intensity and blue shift in the PL peak due to enhanced oscillator strength and quantum confinement effect. The PL peak in green and blue region makes these composite films promising materials for optical display devices. The Refractive index of these composites was also measured at sodium line with the help of Abee's refractometer and was found in the range of 2.20-2.45. It is seen that refractive index varies with polymer concentration. This may be useful for their potential application in anti-reflection coating, display devices and optical sensors.

  16. Effects of PVA organic binder on electric properties of CaCu3Ti4O12 ceramics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yuan, Wen-Xiang; Li, Z. J.

    2012-04-01

    CaCu3Ti4O12 ceramics with incorporation of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) are prepared from the powder synthesized by a solid state reaction. Their electric and dielectric properties are investigated in this study. It is found that adding PVA can dramatically reduce the dielectric loss of CCTO in the low frequency region, and stabilize the dependence of dielectric constant on the measuring frequency. The minimum dielectric loss of 0.045 is obtained from the sample with 8 wt% PVA. The nonlinear coefficient (α) and breakdown electric field (Eb) increase with an increase of PVA binder.

  17. Study of Dielectric Behavior and Charge Conduction Mechanism of Poly(Vinyl Alcohol) (PVA)-Copper (Cu) and Gold (Au) Nanocomposites as a Bio-resorbable Material for Organic Electronics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mahendia, Suman; Goyal, Parveen Kumar; Tomar, Anil Kumar; Chahal, Rishi Pal; Kumar, Shyam

    2016-10-01

    Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) embedded with varying concentrations of chemically synthesized copper (Cu) and gold (Au) nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared using ex situ sol-gel casting method. The addition of almost the same concentration of CuNPs in PVA improves the conducting properties, while that of AuNPs improves the dielectric nature of composite films. It has been found that addition of AuNPs up to ˜0.4 wt.% concentration enhaneces the capacitive nature due to the formation of small Coulomb tunneling knots as internal capacitors. The dielectric studies suggest the Maxwell-Wagner interfacial polarization as the dominant dielectric relaxation process, whereas the I- V characteristics indicate bulk limited Poole-Frenkel emission at high voltages as the dominant charge transport mechanism operating at room temperature in all specimens. These novel features lead to the conclusion that addition of a small quantity of metal nanoparticles can help tune the properties of PVA for desired applications in bio-compatible polymer-based organic electronic devices.

  18. Ultrasonic-assisted synthesis of phosphorus graphene oxide/poly (vinyl alcohol) polymer and surface resistivity research of phosphorus graphene oxide/poly (vinyl alcohol) film.

    PubMed

    Li, Jihui; Li, Yongshen; Niu, Shuai; Li, Ning

    2017-05-01

    In this paper, phosphorus graphene oxide/poly (vinyl alcohol) polymer (PGO/PVA polymer) was synthesized by PGO and PVA via the esterification in the case of faint acidity and the ultrasound irradiation and characterized; moreover, phosphorus graphene oxide/poly (vinyl alcohol) film (PGO/PVA film) was prepared by PGO/PVA polymer and characterized; also, the surface resistivity of PGO/PVA film was investigated in the case of the different amount of PGO. Based on those, it had been found that PGO reacted with PVA to produce PGO/PVA polymer via the esterification under the ultrasonic-assisted condition, and PGO/PVA polymer was structured by 2D lattice of PGO and the chain of PVA connected in the form of six-member lactone ring and phosphonic ester, and PGO/PVA film was constituted by PGO/PVA polymer, and surface resistivity of 0.00, 0.75, 1.50, 2.25 and 3.00wt% of PGO/PVA film were 6.85×10 8 , 2.98×10 8 , 1.42×10 6 , 7.66×10 4 and 1.29×10 5 Ω/sq, respectively. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Development and blood compatibility assessment of electrospun polyvinyl alcohol blended with metallocene polyethylene and plectranthus amboinicus (PVA/mPE/PA) for bone tissue engineering.

    PubMed

    Qi, Jie; Zhang, Huang; Wang, Yingzhou; Mani, Mohan Prasath; Jaganathan, Saravana Kumar

    2018-01-01

    Currently, the design of extracellular matrix (ECM) with nanoscale properties in bone tissue engineering is challenging. For bone tissue engineering, the ECM must have certain properties such as being nontoxic, highly porous, and should not cause foreign body reactions. In this study, the hybrid scaffold based on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) blended with metallocene polyethylene (mPE) and plectranthus amboinicus (PA) was fabricated for bone tissue engineering via electrospinning. The fabricated hybrid nanocomposites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), contact angle measurement, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Furthermore, activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), prothrombin time (PT), and hemolytic assays were used to investigate the blood compatibility of the prepared hybrid nanocomposites. The prepared hybrid nanocomposites showed reduced fiber diameter (238±45 nm) and also increased porosity (87%) with decreased pore diameter (340±86 nm) compared with pure PVA. The interactions between PVA, mPE, and PA were identified by the formation of the additional peaks as revealed in FTIR. Furthermore, the prepared hybrid nanocomposites showed a decreased contact angle of 51°±1.32° indicating a hydrophilic nature and exhibited lower thermal stability compared to pristine PVA. Moreover, the mechanical results revealed that the electrospun scaffold showed an improved tensile strength of 3.55±0.29 MPa compared with the pristine PVA (1.8±0.52 MPa). The prepared hybrid nanocomposites showed delayed blood clotting as noted in APTT and PT assays indicating better blood compatibility. Moreover, the hemolysis assay revealed that the hybrid nanocomposites exhibited a low hemolytic index of 0.6% compared with pure PVA, which was 1.6% suggesting the safety of the developed nanocomposite to red blood cells (RBCs). The prepared nanocomposites exhibited better physico

  20. PVA fiber reinforced shotcrete for rehabilitation and preventative maintenance of aging culverts.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2009-12-01

    The goal of this project was to investigate the potential for using PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) fiber : reinforced mortar for the rehabilitation and preventative maintenance of aging metal highway : drainage culverts using a spray-on liner application ap...

  1. Development of PVA-alginate as a matrix for enzymatic decolorization of textile dye in bioreactor system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yanto, Dede Heri Yuli; Zahara, Syifa; Laksana, Raden Permana Budi; Anita, Sita Heris; Oktaviani, Maulida; Sari, Fahriya Puspita

    2017-01-01

    An immobilization technique using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) crosslinked with sodium alginate as a matrix has been developed for textile dyes decolorization. Textiles use dye as an addition to the aesthetic value of the product. Dyes are generally used is a textile dye where the waste will be released directly into the waters around 2-20%. Therefore, it is important to develop an enzyme immobilization method using PVA-Alginate as a matrix. Based on the results of the study showed that the PVA-Alginate beads produced high decolorization percent compared to beads which contains only Ca-alginate alone and formula matrix is optimum at PVA 6% and alginate 1.5%. Encapsulation with boric acid at 7% showed optimum decolorization and reduction for enzyme leakage during decolorization. This study suggested that immobilization of enzymes into PVA-alginate matrix might be used as a biodecolorating agent.

  2. Polymer Ni-MH battery based on PEO-PVA-KOH polymer electrolyte

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Chun-Chen

    An alkaline polymer electrolyte film has been prepared by a solvent-casting method. Poly(vinyl alcohol), PVA is added to improve the ionic conductivity of the electrolyte. The ionic conductivity increases from 10 -7 to 10 -2 S cm -1 at room temperature when the weight percent ratio of poly(ethylene oxide), PEO to PVA is increased from 10:0 to 5:5. The activation energy of the ionic conductivity for the PEO-PVA-KOH polymer electrolyte is 3-8 kJ mol -1. The properties of the electrolyte film are characterized by a wide variety of techniques and it is found that the film exhibits good mechanical stability and high ionic conductivity at room temperature. The application of such electrolyte films to nickel-metal-hydride (Ni-MH) batteries is examined and the electrochemical characteristics of a polymer Ni-MH battery are obtained.

  3. Complex Coacervate Core Micelles Containing Poly(vinyl alcohol) Inhibit Ice Recrystallization.

    PubMed

    Sproncken, Christian C M; Surís-Valls, Romà; Cingil, Hande E; Detrembleur, Christophe; Voets, Ilja K

    2018-04-10

    Complex coacervate core micelles (C3Ms) form upon complexation of oppositely charged copolymers. These co-assembled structures are widely investigated as promising building blocks for encapsulation, nanoparticle synthesis, multimodal imaging, and coating technology. Here, the impact on ice growth is investigated of C3Ms containing poly(vinyl alcohol), PVA, which is well known for its high ice recrystallization inhibition (IRI) activity. The PVA-based C3Ms are prepared upon co-assembly of poly(4-vinyl-N-methyl-pyridinium iodide) and poly(vinyl alcohol)-block-poly(acrylic acid). Their formation conditions, size, and performance as ice recrystallization inhibitors are studied. It is found that the C3Ms exhibit IRI activity at PVA monomer concentrations as low as 1 × 10 -3 m. The IRI efficacy of PVA-C3Ms is similar to that of linear PVA and PVA graft polymers, underlining the influence of vinyl alcohol monomer concentration rather than polymer architecture. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  4. Selective Permeability of PVA Membranes. I: Radiation-Crosslinked Membranes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Katz, Moshe G.; Wydeven, Theodore, Jr.

    1981-01-01

    The water and salt transport properties of ionizing radiation crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) membranes were investigated. The studied membranes showed high permeabilities and low selectivities for both water and salt. The results were found to be in accord with a modified solution-diffusion model for transport across the membranes, in which pressure-dependent permeability coefficients are employed.

  5. Selective permeability of PVA membranes. I - Radiation-crosslinked membranes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Katz, M. G.; Wydeven, T., Jr.

    1981-01-01

    The water and salt transport properties of ionizing radiation crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) membranes were investigated. The studied membranes showed high permeabilities and low selectivities for both water and salt. The results were found to be in accord with a modified solution-diffusion model for transport across the membranes, in which pressure-dependent permeability coefficients are employed.

  6. Preparation of PVA/Co/Ag film and evaluation of its magnetic and microstructural properties

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Banerjee, M.; Sachdev, Preeti; Mukherjee, G. S.

    2012-05-01

    PVA/Co/Ag film has been prepared by sputtering Co followed by Ag in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) matrix film by IBS technique, so as to get a 9 nm (thick) layer of Co metal nanoparticles followed by a protective 4 nm (thick) layer of Ag nanoparticles. Grazing incidence x-ray diffraction (GIXRD) pattern of the film reveals the formation of nanocrystalline Co with hcp phase. GIXRD pattern also indicates that there is no change in the crystalline structure of PVA even after sputtering of the metallic nanoparticles. The average particle size of Co nanoparticles as evaluated using Scherrer formula is found to be about 2.64 nm. UV visible absorption pattern of the film sample showed SPR peaks of Co and Ag metals in their nano size level embedded in the PVA matrix system. XPS study confirms the metallic nature of Co and Ag nanoparticles; and the depth profiling study reveals that both the metal nanoparticles have been embedded in the PVA matrix system. Surface morphology of such film has been studied using AFM; and the magnetic behaviour of the film studied by using MOKE shows soft ferromagnetic behaviour in this PVA/Co/Ag system.

  7. Effects of PVA-coated nanoparticles on human T helper cell activity.

    PubMed

    Strehl, Cindy; Schellmann, Saskia; Maurizi, Lionel; Hofmann-Amtenbrink, Margarethe; Häupl, Thomas; Hofmann, Heinrich; Buttgereit, Frank; Gaber, Timo

    2016-03-14

    Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION) are used as high-sensitive enhancer for magnetic resonance imaging, where they represent a promising tool for early diagnosis of destructive diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Since we could demonstrate that professional phagocytes are activated by amino-polyvinyl-alcohol-coated-SPION (a-PVA-SPION), the study here focuses on the influence of a-PVA-SPION on human T cells activity. Therefore, primary human CD4+ T cells from RA patients and healthy subjects were treated with varying doses of a-PVA-SPION for 20h or 72h. T cells were then analyzed for apoptosis, cellular energy, expression of the activation marker CD25 and cell proliferation. Although, we observed that T cells from RA patients are more susceptible to low-dose a-PVA-SPION-induced apoptosis than T cells from healthy subjects, in both groups a-PVA-SPION do not activate CD4+ T cells per se and do not influence mitogen-mediated T cells activation with regard to CD25 expression and cell proliferation. Nevertheless, our results demonstrate that CD4+ T cells from RA patients and healthy subjects differ in their response to mitogen stimulation and oxygen availability. We conclude from our data, that a-PVA-SPION do neither activate nor significantly influence mitogen-stimulated CD4+ T cells activation and have negligible influence on T cells apoptosis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Accelerated healing of full-thickness wounds by genipin-crosslinked silk sericin/PVA scaffolds.

    PubMed

    Aramwit, Pornanong; Siritienthong, Tippawan; Srichana, Teerapol; Ratanavaraporn, Juthamas

    2013-01-01

    Silk sericin has recently been studied for its advantageous biological properties, including its ability to promote wound healing. This study developed a delivery system to accelerate the healing of full-thickness wounds. Three-dimensional scaffolds were fabricated from poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), glycerin (as a plasticizer) and genipin (as a crosslinking agent), with or without sericin. The physical and biological properties of the genipin-crosslinked sericin/PVA scaffolds were investigated and compared with those of scaffolds without sericin. The genipin-crosslinked sericin/PVA scaffolds exhibited a higher compressive modulus and greater swelling in water than the scaffolds without sericin. Sericin also exhibited controlled release from the scaffolds. The genipin-crosslinked sericin/PVA scaffolds promoted the attachment and proliferation of L929 mouse fibroblasts. After application to full-thickness rat wounds, the wounds treated with genipin-crosslinked sericin/PVA scaffolds showed a significantly greater reduction in wound size, collagen formation and epithelialization compared with the control scaffolds without sericin but lower numbers of macrophages and multinucleated giant cells. These results indicate that the delivery of sericin from the novel genipin-crosslinked scaffolds efficiently healed the wound. Therefore, these genipin-crosslinked sericin/PVA scaffolds represent a promising candidate for the accelerated healing of full-thickness wounds. Copyright © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  9. A visual water vapor photonic crystal sensor with PVA/SiO2 opal structure

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Haowei; Pan, Lei; Han, Yingping; Ma, Lihua; Li, Yao; Xu, Hongbo; Zhao, Jiupeng

    2017-11-01

    In study, we proposed a simple yet fast optical sensing motif based on thimbleful of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) infiltrated photonic crystal (PC), which allows for high efficiency in vapor sensing through changes in their inter-layer space. Linear response to a broad dynamic range of vapor concentration was realized. Ultrafast response time (<1 s) and excellent recyclability were also demonstrated. Selective response to a vapor was exhibited, reflecting well the characteristic sorption properties of PVA, with which colorimetric reporting was readily achieved. These substantial improvements in performance are attributed to the efficacy of signal transduction and the enhanced signal transduction because of thimbleful PVA infiltrated space between adjacent SiO2 nanospheres.

  10. Fabrication of antibacterial PVA nanocomposite films containing dendritic polymer functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sapalidis, Andreas; Sideratou, Zili; Panagiotaki, Katerina N.; Sakellis, Elias; Kouvelos, Evangelos P.; Papageorgiou, Sergios; Katsaros, Fotios

    2018-03-01

    A series of Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) nanocomposite films containing quaternized hyperbranched polyethyleneimine (PEI) functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (ox-CNTs@QPEI) are prepared by solvent casting technique. The modified carbon based material exhibits high aqueous solubility, due to the hydrophilic character of the functionalized hyperbranched dendritic polymer. The quaternized PEI successfully wraps around nanotube walls, as polycations provide electrostatic repulsion. Various contents of ox-CNTs@QPEI ranging from 0.05 to 1.0 % w/w were employed to prepare functionalized PVA nanocomposites. The developed films exhibit adequate optical transparency, improved mechanical properties and extremely high antibacterial behavior due to the excellent dispersion of the functionalized carbon nanotubes into the PVA matrix.

  11. [Research on the treatment of wastewater containing PVA by ozonation-activated sludge process].

    PubMed

    Xing, Xiao-Qiong; Huang, Cheng-Lan; Liu, Min; Chen, Ying

    2012-11-01

    The wastewater containing polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was characterized with poor biodegradability, and was difficult to remove. In order to find an economically reasonable and practical technology, the research on the removal efficiency of different concentration wastewater containing PVA by ozonation-activated sludge process was studied, and the result was compared with the traditional activated sludge process. The results showed that the ozonation-activated sludge process was not suitable for treating influent with COD below 500 mg x L(-1) and the wastewater PVA concentration was 10-30 mg x L(-1). When the influent COD was between 500-800 mg x L(-1) and the PVA concentration was 15-60 mg x L(-1), the system had advantages on dealing with this kind of wastewater, and the average removal efficiency of COD and PVA were 92.8% and 57.4%, which were better than the traditional activated sludge process 4.1% and 15.2% respectively. In addition, the effluent concentrations of COD could keep between 30-60 mg x L(-1). When the influent COD was 1 000-1 200 mg x L(-1) and the PVA concentration was 20-70 mg x L(-1), the average removal efficiencies of COD and PVA were 90.9% and 45.3%, which were better than the traditional activated sludge process 12.8% and 12.1% respectively, but the effluent should to be further treated. Compared with the traditional activated sludge process, ozonation-activated sludge process had high treatment efficiency, stable running effect, and effectively in dealing with industrial wastewater containing PVA.

  12. A cost effective hydrogel test kit for pre and post blast trinitrotoluene.

    PubMed

    Choodum, Aree; Malathong, Khanitta; NicDaeid, Niamh; Limsakul, Wadcharawadee; Wongniramaikul, Worawit

    2016-09-01

    A cost effective hydrogel test kit was successfully developed for the detection of pre- and post-blast trinitrotoluene (TNT). A polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel matrix was used to entrap the potassium hydroxide (KOH) colourimetric reagent. The easily portable test kit was fabricated in situ in a small tube to which the sample could be added directly. The test kit was used in conjunction with digital image colourimetry (DIC) to demonstrate the rapid quantitative analysis of TNT in a test soil sample. The built-in digital camera of an iPhone was used to capture digital images of the colourimetric products from the test kit. Red-Green-Blue (RGB) colour data from the digital images of TNT standard solutions were used to establish a calibration graph. The validation of the DIC method indicated excellent inter day precision (0.12-3.60%RSD) and accuracy (93-108% relative accuracy). Post-blast soil samples containing TNT were analysed using the test kit and were in good agreement with spectrophotometric analysis. The intensity of the RGB data from the TNT complex deviated by +6.3%, +5.1%, and -4.9% after storage of the test kits in a freezer for 3 months. The test kit was also reusable for up to 12 times with only -5.4%, +0.3%, and +4.0% deviations. The hydrogel test kit was applied in the detection of trace explosive residues at the scene of the recent Bangkok bombing at the Ratchaprasong intersection and produced positive results for TNT demonstrating its operational field application as a rapid and cost effective quantitative tool for explosive residue analysis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Biosynthesis and Characterization of AgNPs–Silk/PVA Film for Potential Packaging Application

    PubMed Central

    Tao, Gang; Cai, Rui; Wang, Yejing; Song, Kai; Guo, Pengchao; Zhao, Ping; Zuo, Hua; He, Huawei

    2017-01-01

    Bionanocomposite packaging materials have a bright future for a broad range of applications in the food and biomedical industries. Antimicrobial packaging is one of the bionanocomposite packaging materials. Silver nanoparticle (AgNP) is one of the most attractive antimicrobial agents for its broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity against microorganisms. However, the traditional method of preparing AgNPs-functionalized packaging material is cumbersome and not environmentally friendly. To develop an efficient and convenient biosynthesis method to prepare AgNPs-modified bionanocomposite material for packaging applications, we synthesized AgNPs in situ in a silk fibroin solution via the reduction of Ag+ by the tyrosine residue of fibroin, and then prepared AgNPs–silk/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) composite film by blending with PVA. AgNPs were synthesized evenly on the surface or embedded in the interior of silk/PVA film. The prepared AgNPs–silk/PVA film exhibited excellent mechanical performance and stability, as well as good antibacterial activity against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. AgNPs–silk/PVA film offers more choices to be potentially applied in the active packaging field. PMID:28773026

  14. Biosynthesis and Characterization of AgNPs-Silk/PVA Film for Potential Packaging Application.

    PubMed

    Tao, Gang; Cai, Rui; Wang, Yejing; Song, Kai; Guo, Pengchao; Zhao, Ping; Zuo, Hua; He, Huawei

    2017-06-17

    Bionanocomposite packaging materials have a bright future for a broad range of applications in the food and biomedical industries. Antimicrobial packaging is one of the bionanocomposite packaging materials. Silver nanoparticle (AgNP) is one of the most attractive antimicrobial agents for its broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity against microorganisms. However, the traditional method of preparing AgNPs-functionalized packaging material is cumbersome and not environmentally friendly. To develop an efficient and convenient biosynthesis method to prepare AgNPs-modified bionanocomposite material for packaging applications, we synthesized AgNPs in situ in a silk fibroin solution via the reduction of Ag⁺ by the tyrosine residue of fibroin, and then prepared AgNPs-silk/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) composite film by blending with PVA. AgNPs were synthesized evenly on the surface or embedded in the interior of silk/PVA film. The prepared AgNPs-silk/PVA film exhibited excellent mechanical performance and stability, as well as good antibacterial activity against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. AgNPs-silk/PVA film offers more choices to be potentially applied in the active packaging field.

  15. Temperature-responsive and biodegradable PVA:PVP k30:poloxamer 407 hydrogel for controlled delivery of human growth hormone (hGH).

    PubMed

    Taheri, Azade; Atyabi, Fatemeh; Dinarvnd, Rassoul

    2011-01-01

    Recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) is used for replacement therapy of pediatric hypopituitary dwarfism. Growth rate in children was observed to be better on the daily injection schedule compared with the currently used therapeutic regimen of thrice a week injection. Thus, a controlled release formulation would overcome the drawback of traditional rhGH therapy such as the need for multiple injections. Poloxamers are a family of triblock copolymers consisting of two hydrophilic blocks of polyoxyethylene separated by a hydrophobic block of polyoxypropylene, which form micelles at low concentrations and form clear thermally reversible gels at high concentrations. We used poloxamer gels to develop a controlled release formulation of hGH. The objective of this study was to develop an in situ gel forming drug delivery system for hGH using the minimum possible ratio of poloxamer 407 (P407). Decreasing the concentration of poloxamer could reduce the risk of hypertriglyceridemia induction. Different additives were added to the poloxamer formulations. It was observed that among different additives polyvinylpyrrolidone k30 (PVP k30) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) decrease poloxamer concentration required to form in situ gelation from 18% to 10%. The dynamic viscoelastic properties of the samples were determined. Both the storage modulus and the loss modulus of the samples increased abruptly as the temperature passed a certain point. It can be concluded that combining P407 and PVP and PVA could be a promising strategy for preparation of thermally reversible in situ gel forming delivery systems of hGH with low poloxamer concentration.

  16. Production of Conductive PEDOT-Coated PVA-GO Composite Nanofibers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zubair, Nur Afifah; Rahman, Norizah Abdul; Lim, Hong Ngee; Sulaiman, Yusran

    2017-02-01

    Electrically conductive nanofiber is well known as an excellent nanostructured material for its outstanding performances. In this work, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT)-coated polyvinyl alcohol-graphene oxide (PVA-GO)-conducting nanofibers were fabricated via a combined method using electrospinning and electropolymerization techniques. During electrospinning, the concentration of PVA-GO solution and the applied voltage were deliberately altered in order to determine the optimized electrospinning conditions. The optimized parameters obtained were 0.1 mg/mL of GO concentration with electrospinning voltage of 15 kV, which displayed smooth nanofibrous morphology and smaller diameter distribution. The electrospun PVA-GO nanofiber mats were further modified by coating with the conjugated polymer, PEDOT, using electropolymerization technique which is a facile approach for coating the nanofibers. SEM images of the obtained nanofibers indicated that cauliflower-like structures of PEDOT were successfully grown on the surface of the electrospun nanofibers during the potentiostatic mode of the electropolymerization process. The conductive nature of PEDOT coating strongly depends on the different electropolymerization parameters, resulting in good conductivity of PEDOT-coated nanofibers. The optimum electropolymerization of PEDOT was at a potential of 1.2 V in 5 min. The electrochemical measurements demonstrated that the fabricated PVA-GO/PEDOT composite nanofiber could enhance the current response and reduce the charge transfer resistance of the nanofiber.

  17. Fabrication and characterization of polyaniline/PVA humidity microsensors.

    PubMed

    Yang, Ming-Zhi; Dai, Ching-Liang; Lin, Wei-Yi

    2011-01-01

    This study presents the fabrication and characterization of a humidity microsensor that consists of interdigitated electrodes and a sensitive film. The area of the humidity microsensor is about 2 mm(2). The sensitive film is polyaniline doping polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) that is prepared by the sol-gel method, and the film has nanofiber and porous structures that help increase the sensing reaction. The commercial 0.35 μm Complimentary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) process is used to fabricate the humidity microsensor. The sensor needs a post-CMOS process to etch the sacrificial layer and to coat the sensitive film on the interdigitated electrodes. The sensor produces a change in resistance as the polyaniline/PVA film absorbs or desorbs vapor. Experimental results show that the sensitivity of the humidity sensor is about 12.6 kΩ/%RH at 25 °C.

  18. Novel Starch-PVA Polymer for Microparticle Preparation and Optimization Using Factorial Design Study

    PubMed Central

    Chattopadhyay, Helen; De, Amit Kumar; Datta, Sriparna

    2015-01-01

    The aim of our present work was to optimize the ratio of a very novel polymer, starch-polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), for controlled delivery of Ornidazole. Polymer-coated drug microparticles were prepared by emulsion method. Microscopic study, scanning electron microscopic study, and atomic force microscopic study revealed that the microparticles were within 10 micrometers of size with smooth spherical shape. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed absence of drug polymer interaction. A statistical 32 full factorial design was used to study the effect of different concentration of starch and PVA on the drug release profile. The three-dimensional plots gave us an idea about the contribution of each factor on the release kinetics. Hence this novel polymer of starch and polyvinyl alcohol can be utilized for control release of the drug from a targeted delivery device. PMID:27347511

  19. Application of graphene from exfoliation in kitchen mixer allows mechanical reinforcement of PVA/graphene film

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ismail, Zulhelmi; Abdullah, Abu Hannifa; Zainal Abidin, Anis Sakinah; Yusoh, Kamal

    2017-08-01

    Mechanical properties of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) can be reinforced from the addition of graphene into its matrix. However, pristine graphene lacks solubility in water and thus makes dispersion a challenging task. Notably, functionalisation of graphene is required to accommodate graphene presence in the water. In this work, we have used a kitchen mixer to produce gum Arabic-graphene (GGA) for the first time as filler for mechanical reinforcement of PVA. For the characterisation of exfoliated graphene, mean lateral size of GGA was measured from the imaging by transmission electron microscopy while the mean thickness of graphene was predicted from the obtained spectra by Raman spectroscopy. During the preparation of PVA/graphene film by solution casting, GGA was varied between 0, 0.05, 0.075, 0.10 and 0.15 wt% in concentration. We found that the presence of GGA in PVA improves the tensile stress and elastic modulus about 72-200 and 19-187% from the original values. The data from Halpin-Tsai meanwhile suggested that the mechanical reinforcement of PVA/graphene film is due to the random distribution network of GGA in PVA.

  20. Formation and cleaning function of physically cross-linked dual strengthened water-soluble chitosan-based core-shell particles.

    PubMed

    Dong, Yanrui; Xiao, Congming

    2017-09-01

    Facile and mild ionic cross-linking and freezing/thawing technologies were applied to prepare double strengthened core-shell particles by using water-soluble chitosan (WSC), sodium alginate (SA) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) as starting materials. The aqueous solution contained WSC and PVA was dropped in ethanol to form beads. The beads were converted into WSC/PVA hydrogel particles by being subjected to three freeze/thaw cycles. Subsequently, ionic cross-linked hydrogel layer was formed around each WSC/PVA particle to generate core-shell particulates. Fourier transform infrared spectra confirmed the combination among various components. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis indicated that the storage modulus of the core-shell hydrogel was improved obviously. Thermogravimetric analysis exhibited the thermal stability of the particles was also enhanced by incorporation of PVA. It was found that the particles were able to adsorb carbon dioxide, lead ion and copper ion. The adsorption capacities of dry particles toward carbon dioxide, Pb(II) and Cu(II) could reach 199.62, 39.28 and 26.03mg/g, respectively. The rates of the particles for binding Pb(II) and Cu(II) at initial stage were 26.57 and 4.30%/min, respectively. These experimental results suggested that the particles were an efficient sorbent for removing hazardous substances such as carbon dioxide and heavy-metal ions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. The effects of temperature on the surface resistivity of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) thin films doped with silver nanoparticles and multi-walled carbon-nanotubes for optoelectronic and sensor applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Polius, Jemilia R.

    This thesis reports measurements of the temperature-dependent surface resistivity of multi-wall carbon nanotube doped polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) thin films. In the temperature range from 22°C to 40°C in a humidity controlled environment, it was found that the surface resistivity decreased initially but raised as the temperature continued to increase. I report surface resistivity measurements as a function of temperature of both multiwall and single-wall carbon nanotube doped PVA thin films, with comparison of the similarities and differences between the two types of film types. This research was conducted using the combined instrumentation of the KEITHLEY Model 6517 Electrometer and the KEITHLEY Model 8009 resistivity test fixture using both commercial and in-house produced organic thin films.

  2. Synthesis, characterization and antibacterial activity of biodegradable starch/PVA composite films reinforced with cellulosic fibre.

    PubMed

    Priya, Bhanu; Gupta, Vinod Kumar; Pathania, Deepak; Singha, Amar Singh

    2014-08-30

    Cellulosic fibres reinforced composite blend films of starch/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) were prepared by using citric acid as plasticizer and glutaraldehyde as the cross-linker. The mechanical properties of cellulosic fibres reinforced composite blend were compared with starch/PVA crossed linked blend films. The increase in the tensile strength, elongation percentage, degree of swelling and biodegradability of blend films was evaluated as compared to starch/PVA crosslinked blend films. The value of different evaluated parameters such as citric acid, glutaraldehyde and reinforced fibre to starch/PVA (5:5) was found to be 25 wt.%, 0.100 wt.% and 20 wt.%, respectively. The blend films were characterized using Fourier transform-infrared spectrophotometry (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA/DTA/DTG). Scanning electron microscopy illustrated a good adhesion between starch/PVA blend and fibres. The blend films were also explored for antimicrobial activities against pathogenic bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. The results confirmed that the blended films may be used as exceptional material for food packaging. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Development of ethyl alcohol-precipitated silk sericin/polyvinyl alcohol scaffolds for accelerated healing of full-thickness wounds.

    PubMed

    Siritienthong, Tippawan; Ratanavaraporn, Juthamas; Aramwit, Pornanong

    2012-12-15

    Silk sericin has been recently reported for its advantageous biological properties to promote wound healing. In this study, we established that the ethyl alcohol (EtOH) could be used to precipitate sericin and form the stable sericin/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) scaffolds without the crosslinking. The sericin/PVA scaffolds were fabricated via freeze-drying and subsequently precipitating in various concentrations of EtOH. The EtOH-precipitated sericin/PVA scaffolds showed denser structure, higher compressive modulus, but lower water swelling ability than the non-precipitated scaffolds. Sericin could be released from the EtOH-precipitated sericin/PVA scaffolds in a sustained manner. After cultured with L929 mouse fibroblasts, the 70 vol% EtOH-precipitated sericin/PVA scaffolds showed the highest potential to promote cell proliferation. After applied to the full-thickness wounds of rats, the 70 vol% EtOH-precipitated sericin/PVA scaffolds showed significantly higher percentage of wound size reduction and higher extent of type III collagen formation and epithelialization, compared with the control scaffolds without sericin. The accelerated wound healing by the 70 vol% EtOH-precipitated sericin/PVA scaffolds was possibly due to (1) the bioactivity of sericin itself to promote wound healing, (2) the sustained release of precipitated sericin from the scaffolds, and (3) the activation and recruitment of wound healing-macrophages by sericin to the wounds. This finding suggested that the EtOH-precipitated sericin/PVA scaffolds were more effective for the wound healing, comparing with the EtOH-precipitated PVA scaffolds without sericin. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Free radical scavenging injectable hydrogels for regenerative therapy.

    PubMed

    Komeri, Remya; Thankam, Finosh Gnanaprakasam; Muthu, Jayabalan

    2017-02-01

    Pathological free radicals generated from inflamed and infarcted cardiac tissues interferes natural tissue repair mechanisms. Hypoxic microenvironment at the injured zone of non-regenerating cardiac tissues hinders the therapeutic attempts including cell therapy. Here we report an injectable, cytocompatible, free radical scavenging synthetic hydrogel formulation for regenerative therapy. New hydrogel (PEAX-P) is prepared with D-xylitol-co-fumarate-co-poly ethylene adipate-co-PEG comaromer (PEAX) and PEGDiacrylate. PEAX-P hydrogel swells 4.9 times the initial weight and retains 100.07kPa Young modulus at equilibrium swelling, which is suitable for cardiac applications. PEAX-P hydrogel retains elastic nature even at 60% compressive strain, which is favorable to fit with the dynamic and elastic natural tissue counterparts. PEAX-P hydrogel scavenges 51% DPPH radical, 40% hydroxyl radicals 41% nitrate radicals with 31% reducing power. The presence of hydrogel protects 62% cardiomyoblast cells treated with stress inducing media at LD 50 concentration. The free hydroxyl groups in sugar alcohols of the comacromer influence the free radical scavenging. Comparatively, PEAX-P hydrogel based on xylitol evinces slightly lower scavenging characteristics than with previously reported PEAM-P hydrogel containing mannitol having more hydroxyl groups. The possible free radical scavenging mechanism of the present hydrogel relies on the free π electrons associated with uncrosslinked fumarate bonds, hydrogen atoms associated with sugar alcohols/PEG and radical dilution by free water in the matrix. Briefly, the present PEAX-P hydrogel is a potential injectable system for combined antioxidant and regenerative therapy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Preparation and characterization of silk sericin/PVA blend film with silver nanoparticles for potential antimicrobial application.

    PubMed

    He, Huawei; Cai, Rui; Wang, Yejing; Tao, Gang; Guo, Pengchao; Zuo, Hua; Chen, Liqun; Liu, Xinyu; Zhao, Ping; Xia, Qingyou

    2017-11-01

    Sericin has great potentials in biomedical applications for its good reactive activity, biocompatibility and biodegradability. However, the undesirable mechanical performance limits its application. Here, we developed a green, facile and economic approach to prepare sericin/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) blend film. Further, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized in situ on the surface of sericin/PVA film via UV-assisted green synthesis method. Mechanical performance, swelling, mass losing and water retention tests showed the blend film had good mechanical performance, hygroscopicity, water retention capacity and low mass losing ratio. Scanning electron microscopy, fourier transfer infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometry diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicated the blending of PVA and sericin promoted the formation of hydrogen bond network between sericin and PVA, thus enhanced the mechanical performance and the stability of sericin, as well as the hygroscopicity and water retention capacity. UV irradiation and AgNPs modification did not affect the inner crystalline structure of sericin/PVA blend film. The inhibition zone and bacteria growth curve assay suggested AgNPs-sericin/PVA film had good antibacterial activities against E. coli and S. aureus. This novel AgNPs-sericin/PVA film shows great potentials in biomedical materials such as wound dressing and skin tissue engineering. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Photonic crystal borax competitive binding carbohydrate sensing motif†

    PubMed Central

    Cui, Qingzhou; Muscatello, Michelle M. Ward; Asher, Sanford A.

    2009-01-01

    We developed a photonic crystal sensing method for diol containing species such as carbohydrates based on a poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogel containing an embedded crystalline colloidal array (CCA). The polymerized CCA (PCCA) diffracts visible light. We show that in the presence of borax the diffraction wavelength shifts as the concentration of glucose changes. The diffraction shifts result from the competitive binding of glucose to borate, which reduces the concentration of borate bound to the PVA diols. PMID:19381378

  7. Mild in situ growth of platinum nanoparticles on multiwalled carbon nanotube-poly (vinyl alcohol) hydrogel electrode for glucose electrochemical oxidation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Shumin; Zheng, Yudong; Qiao, Kun; Su, Lei; Sanghera, Amendeep; Song, Wenhui; Yue, Lina; Sun, Yi

    2015-12-01

    This investigation describes an effective strategy to fabricate an electrochemically active hybrid hydrogel made from platinum nanoparticles that are highly dense, uniformly dispersed, and tightly embedded throughout the conducting hydrogel network for the electrochemical oxidation of glucose. A suspension of multiwalled carbon nanotubes and polyvinyl alcohol aqueous was coated on glassy carbon electrode by electrophoretic deposition and then physically crosslinked to form a three-dimensional porous conductive hydrogel network by a process of freezing and thawing. The network offered 3D interconnected mass-transport channels (around 200 nm) and confined nanotemplates for in situ growth of uniform platinum nanoparticles via the moderate reduction agent, ascorbic acid. The resulting hybrid hydrogel electrode membrane demonstrates an effective method for loading platinum nanoparticles on multiwalled carbon nanotubes by the electrostatic adsorption between multiwalled carbon nanotubes and platinum ions within porous hydrogel network. The average diameter of platinum nanoparticles is 37 ± 14 nm, which is less than the particle size by only using the moderate reduction agent. The hybrid hydrogel electrode membrane-coated glassy carbon electrode showed excellent electrocatalytic activity and good long-term stability toward glucose electrochemical oxidation. The glucose oxidation current exhibited a linear relationship with the concentration of glucose in the presence of chloride ions, promising for potential applications of implantable biofuel cells, biosensors, and electronic devices.

  8. PVA gel as a potential adhesion barrier: a safety study in a large animal model of intestinal surgery.

    PubMed

    Renz, Bernhard W; Leitner, Kurt; Odermatt, Erich; Worthley, Daniel L; Angele, Martin K; Jauch, Karl-Walter; Lang, Reinhold A

    2014-03-01

    Intra-abdominal adhesions following surgery are a major source of morbidity and mortality including abdominal pain and small bowel obstruction. This study evaluated the safety of PVA gel (polyvinyl alcohol and carboxymethylated cellulose gel) on intestinal anastomoses and its potential effectiveness in preventing adhesions in a clinically relevant large animal model. Experiments were performed in a pig model with median laparotomy and intestinal anastomosis following small bowel resection. The primary endpoint was the safety of PVA on small intestinal anastomoses. We also measured the incidence of postoperative adhesions in PVA vs. control groups: group A (eight pigs): stapled anastomosis with PVA gel compared to group B (eight pigs), which had no PVA gel; group C (eight pigs): hand-sewn anastomosis with PVA gel compared to group B (eight pigs), which had no anti-adhesive barrier. Animals were sacrificed 14 days after surgery and analyzed. All anastomoses had a patent lumen without any stenosis. No anastomoses leaked at an intraluminal pressure of 40 cmH2O. Thus, anastomoses healed very well in both groups, regardless of whether PVA was administered. PVA-treated animals, however, had significantly fewer adhesions in the area of stapled anastomoses. The hand-sewn PVA group also had weaker adhesions and trended towards fewer adhesions to adjacent organs. These results suggest that PVA gel does not jeopardize the integrity of intestinal anastomoses. However, larger trials are needed to investigate the potential of PVA gel to prevent adhesions in gastrointestinal surgery.

  9. Lysozyme-immobilized electrospun PAMA/PVA and PSSA-MA/PVA ion-exchange nanofiber for wound healing.

    PubMed

    Tonglairoum, Prasopchai; Ngawhirunpat, Tanasait; Rojanarata, Theerasak; Opanasopit, Praneet

    2014-08-27

    Abstract This research was aimed to develop the lysozyme immobilized ion-exchange nanofiber mats for wound healing. To promote the healing process, the PSSA-MA/PVA and PAMA ion-exchange nanofiber mats were fabricated to mimic the extracellular matrix structure using electrospinning process followed by thermally crosslinked. Lysozyme was immobilized on the ion-exchane nanofibers by an adsorption method. The ion-exchange nanofibers were investigated using SEM, FTIR and XRPD. Moreover, the lysozyme-immobilized ion-exchange nanofibers were further investigated for lysozyme content and activity, lysozyme release and wound healing activity. The fiber diameters of the mats were in the nanometer range. Lysozyme was gradually absorbed into the PSSA-MA/PVA nanofiber with higher extend than that is absorbed on the PAMA/PVA nanofiber and exhibited higher activity than lysozyme-immobilized PAMA/PVA nanofiber. The total contents of lysozyme on the PSSA-MA/PVA and PAMA/PVA nanofiber were 648 and 166 µg/g, respectively. FTIR and lysozyme activity results confirmed the presence of lysozyme on the nanofiber mats. The lysozyme was released from the PSSA-MA/PVA and PAMA/PVA nanofiber in the same manner. The lysozyme-immobilized PSSA-MA/PVA nanofiber mats and lysozyme-immobilized PAMA/PVA nanofiber mats exhibited significantly faster healing rate than gauze and similar to the commercial antibacterial gauze dressing. These results suggest that these nanofiber mats could provide the promising candidate for wound healing application.

  10. Optical and thermogravimetric analysis of Zn1-xCuxS/PVA nanocomposite films

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mohamed, Mohamed Bakr; Heiba, Zein K.; Imam, N. G.

    2018-07-01

    Cu doped ZnS nanoparticles with cubic blend structure had been prepared successfully through thermolysis route and then composited with poly vinyl alcohol using casting method. Zn1-xCuxS/PVA nanocomposites were characterized using different characterization techniques. The quantum dot nature of the ZnS:Cu phase was confirmed by transmission electron microscope technique. Thermal stability was studied by thermogravimetric analysis. The ultra violet measurements illustrated that addition of Zn1-xCuxS nanoparticles to PVA matrix increased the film absorbance. Furthermore, the energy gap and refractive index of the composites were obtained from ultra violet and photoluminescence spectrophotometers. The photoluminescence spectra of ZnS:Cu/PVA nanocomposite films demonstrated a quite broad emission peak at 435 nm with highest photoluminescence intensity in nanocomposite doped with 1% Cu.

  11. Microfluidic bioassay system based on microarrays of hydrogel sensing elements entrapping quantum dot-enzyme conjugates.

    PubMed

    Jang, Eunji; Kim, Sinyoung; Koh, Won-Gun

    2012-01-15

    This paper presents a simple method to fabricate a microfluidic biosensor that is able to detect substrates for H(2)O(2)-generating oxidase. The biosensor consists of three components (quantum dot-enzyme conjugates, hydrogel microstructures, and a set of microchannels) that were hierarchically integrated into a microfluidic device. The quantum dot (QD)-enzyme conjugates were entrapped within the poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-based hydrogel microstructures that were fabricated within the microchannels by a photopatterning process. Glucose oxidase (GOX) and alcohol oxidase (AOX) were chosen as the model oxidase enzymes, conjugated to carboxyl-terminated CdSe/ZnS QDs, and entrapped within the hydrogel microstructures, which resulted in a fluorescent hydrogel microarray that was responsive to glucose or alcohol. The hydrogel-entrapped GOX and AOX were able to perform enzyme-catalyzed oxidation of glucose and alcohol, respectively, to produce H(2)O(2), which subsequently quenched the fluorescence of the conjugated QDs. The fluorescence intensity of the hydrogel microstructures decreased as the glucose and alcohol concentrations increased, and the detection limits of this system were found to be 50 μM of glucose and 70 μM of alcohol. Because each microchannel was able to carry out different assays independently, the simultaneous detection of glucose and alcohol was possible using our novel microfluidic device composed of multiple microchannels. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Technical Note: Preliminary investigations into the use of a functionalised polymer to reduce diffusion in Fricke gel dosimeters

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Smith, S. T., E-mail: s164.smith@qut.edu.au; Masters, K.-S.; Hosokawa, K.

    2015-12-15

    Purpose: A modification of the existing PVA-FX hydrogel has been made to investigate the use of a functionalised polymer in a Fricke gel dosimetry system to decrease Fe{sup 3+} diffusion. Methods: The chelating agent, xylenol orange, was chemically bonded to the gelling agent, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to create xylenol orange functionalised PVA (XO-PVA). A gel was created from the XO-PVA (20% w/v) with ferrous sulfate (0.4 mM) and sulfuric acid (50 mM). Results: This resulted in an optical density dose sensitivity of 0.014 Gy{sup −1}, an auto-oxidation rate of 0.0005 h{sup −1}, and a diffusion rate of 0.129 mm{sup 2}more » h{sup −1}; an 8% reduction compared to the original PVA-FX gel, which in practical terms adds approximately 1 h to the time span between irradiation and accurate read-out. Conclusions: Because this initial method of chemically bonding xylenol orange to polyvinyl alcohol has inherently low conversion, the improvement on existing gel systems is minimal when compared to the drawbacks. More efficient methods of functionalising polyvinyl alcohol with xylenol orange must be developed for this system to gain clinical relevance.« less

  13. An electrospun nanofiber matrix based on organo-clay for biosensors: PVA/PAMAM-Montmorillonite

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Unal, Betul; Yalcinkaya, Esra Evrim; Demirkol, Dilek Odaci; Timur, Suna

    2018-06-01

    Diagnostic techniques based on biomolecules have huge a potential to be applied in the application in various areas such as food/beverage industries, diseases diagnostics, monitoring of bio-processes and environmental pollutants. Immobilization of biomolecules on a transducer is the key parameter to being able to prepare a highly stable diagnostic tests. Electrospun nanofibers are a good alternative to immobilize biomolecules. Here, electrospun nanofibers based on an organoclay were used to design the first generation amperometric enzyme biosensor. PAMAM G2 dendrimers were used to intercalate montmorillonite clay (Mt) and then the modification of Mt by PAMAM was characterized using FTIR, XRD, TGA and zeta potential measurements. After that nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning Mt and PAMAM-Mt using poly(vinyl) alcohol (PVA) as an auxiliary polymer and the formed PVA/PAMAM-Mt electrospun nanofibers were proved by SEM, TEM and AFM techniques. Finally, pyranose oxidases (PyOx) were immobilized on a glassy carbon electrode surface, which was modified using the PVA/PAMAM-Mt electrospun nanofibers. Amperometric measurements were carried out using buffer solution at -0.7 V under stirring conditions. The linear response for glucose was from 0.005 mM to 0.25 mM using PVA/Mt/PyOx and PVA/PAMAM-Mt/PyOx biosensors. The limit of detection was 0.7 μM glucose with PVA/PAMAM-Mt/PyOx biosensor. To detect glucose in real sample, measurements were carried out using soft drink cola as a substrate instead of glucose.

  14. Short cellulose nanofribrils as reinforcement in polyvinyl alcohol fiber

    Treesearch

    Jun Peng; Thomas Ellingham; Ron Sabo; Lih-Sheng Turng; Craig M. Clemons

    2014-01-01

    Short cellulose nanofibrils (SCNF) were investigated as reinforcement for polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers. SCNF were mechanically isolated from hard wood pulp after enzymatic pretreatment. Various levels of SCNF were added to an aqueous PVA solution, which was gel-spun into continuous fibers. The molecular orientation of PVA was affected by a combination of wet drawing...

  15. In Situ Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles on the Polyelectrolyte-Coated Sericin/PVA Film for Enhanced Antibacterial Application

    PubMed Central

    Cai, Rui; Tao, Gang; Guo, Pengchao; Yang, Meirong; Ding, Chaoxiang; Zuo, Hua; Wang, Lingyan; Zhao, Ping; Wang, Yejing

    2017-01-01

    To develop silk sericin (SS) as a potential antibacterial biomaterial, a novel composite of polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) coated sericin/poly(vinyl alcohol) (SS/PVA) film modified with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) has been developed using a layer-by-layer assembly technique and ultraviolet-assisted AgNPs synthesis method. Ag ions were enriched by PEMs via the electrostatic attraction between Ag ions and PEMs, and then reduced to AgNPs in situ with the assistance of ultraviolet irradiation. PEMs facilitated the high-density growth of AgNPs and protected the synthesized AgNPs due to the formation of a 3D matrix, and thus endowed SS/PVA film with highly effective and durable antibacterial activity. Scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometry, Fourier transfer infrared spectroscopy, water contact angle, mechanical property and thermogravimetric analysis were applied to characterize SS/PVA, PEMs-SS/PVA and AgNPs-PEMs-SS/PVA films, respectively. AgNPs-PEMs-SS/PVA film has exhibited good mechanical performance, hydrophilicity, water absorption capability as well as excellent and durable antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and good stability and degradability. This study has developed a simple method to design and prepare AgNPs-PEMs-SS/PVA film for potential antibacterial application. PMID:28820482

  16. Study of poly(vinyl alcohol)/titanium oxide composite polymer membranes and their application on alkaline direct alcohol fuel cell

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Chun-Chen; Chiu, Shwu-Jer; Lee, Kuo-Tong; Chien, Wen-Chen; Lin, Che-Tseng; Huang, Ching-An

    The novel poly(vinyl alcohol)/titanium oxide (PVA/TiO 2) composite polymer membrane was prepared using a solution casting method. The characteristic properties of the PVA/TiO 2 composite polymer membrane were investigated by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), a scanning electron microscopy (SEM), a micro-Raman spectroscopy, a methanol permeability measurement and the AC impedance method. An alkaline direct alcohol (methanol, ethanol and isopropanol) fuel cell (DAFC), consisting of an air cathode based on MnO 2/C inks, an anode based on PtRu (1:1) black and a PVA/TiO 2 composite polymer membrane, was assembled and examined for the first time. The results indicate that the alkaline DAFC comprised of a cheap, non-perfluorinated PVA/TiO 2 composite polymer membrane shows an improved electrochemical performances. The maximum power densities of alkaline DAFCs with 4 M KOH + 2 M CH 3OH, 2 M C 2H 5OH and 2 M isopropanol (IPA) solutions at room temperature and ambient air are 9.25, 8.00, and 5.45 mW cm -2, respectively. As a result, methanol shows the highest maximum power density among three alcohols. The PVA/TiO 2 composite polymer membrane with the permeability values in the order of 10 -7 to 10 -8 cm 2 s -1 is a potential candidate for use on alkaline DAFCs.

  17. Synergistic effect of ozonation and ionizing radiation for PVA decomposition.

    PubMed

    Sun, Weihua; Chen, Lujun; Zhang, Yongming; Wang, Jianlong

    2015-08-01

    Ozonation and ionizing radiation are both advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) without chemical addition and secondary pollution. Also, the two processes' efficiency is determined by different pH conditions, which creates more possibilities for their combination. Importantly, the combined process of ozonation and ionizing radiation could be suitable for treating wastewaters with extreme pH values, i.e., textile wastewater. To find synergistic effects, the combined process of ozonation and ionizing radiation mineralization was investigated for degradation of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) at different pH levels. A synergistic effect was found at initial pH in the range 3.0-9.4. When the initial pH was 3.0, the combined process of ozonation and ionizing radiation gave a PVA mineralization degree of 17%. This was 2.7 times the sum achieved by the two individual processes, and factors of 2.1 and 1.7 were achieved at initial pH of 7.0 and 9.4, respectively. The combined process of ozonation and ionizing radiation was demonstrated to be a feasible strategy for treatment of PVA-containing wastewater. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  18. Structural and magnetic characteristics of PVA/CoFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} nano-composites prepared via mechanical alloying method

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Rashidi, S.; Ataie, A., E-mail: aataie@ut.ac.ir

    Highlights: • Single phase CoFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} nano-particles synthesized in one step by mechanical alloying. • PVA/CoFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} magnetic nano-composites were fabricated via mechanical milling. • FTIR confirmed the interaction between PVA and magnetic CoFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} particles. • Increasing in milling time and PVA amount led to well dispersion of CoFe{sub 2}O{sub 4}. - Abstract: In this research, polyvinyl alcohol/cobalt ferrite nano-composites were successfully synthesized employing a two-step procedure: the spherical single-phase cobalt ferrite of 20 ± 4 nm mean particle size was synthesized via mechanical alloying method and then embedded into polymer matrix by intensive milling. Themore » results revealed that increase in polyvinyl alcohol content and milling time causes cobalt ferrite particles disperse more homogeneously in polymer matrix, while the mean particle size and shape of cobalt ferrite have not been significantly affected. Transmission electron microscope images indicated that polyvinyl alcohol chains have surrounded the cobalt ferrite nano-particles; also, the interaction between polymer and cobalt ferrite particles in nano-composite samples was confirmed. Magnetic properties evaluation showed that saturation magnetization, coercivity and anisotropy constant values decreased in nano-composite samples compared to pure cobalt ferrite. However, the coercivity values of related nano-composite samples enhanced by increasing PVA amount due to domain wall mechanism.« less

  19. Morphology and properties of poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) scaffolds: impact of process variables.

    PubMed

    Ye, Mao; Mohanty, Pravansu; Ghosh, Gargi

    2014-09-01

    Successful engineering of functional biological substitutes requires scaffolds with three-dimensional interconnected porous structure, controllable rate of biodegradation, and ideal mechanical strength. In this study, we report the development and characterization of micro-porous PVA scaffolds fabricated by freeze drying method. The impact of molecular weight of PVA, surfactant concentration, foaming time, and stirring speed on pore characteristics, mechanical properties, swelling ratio, and rate of degradation of the scaffolds was characterized. Results show that a foaming time of 60s, a stirring speed of 1,000 rpm, and a surfactant concentration of 5% yielded scaffolds with rigid structure but with interconnected pores. Study also demonstrated that increased foaming time increased porosity and swelling ratio and reduced the rigidity of the samples. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Existence of a novel enzyme, pyrroloquinoline quinone-dependent polyvinyl alcohol dehydrogenase, in a bacterial symbiont, Pseudomonas sp. strain VM15C.

    PubMed Central

    Shimao, M; Ninomiya, K; Kuno, O; Kato, N; Sakazawa, C

    1986-01-01

    A novel enzyme, pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ)-dependent polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) dehydrogenase, was found in and partially purified from the membrane fraction of a PVA-degrading symbiont, Pseudomonas sp. strain VM15C. The enzyme required PQQ for PVA dehydrogenation with phenazine methosulfate, phenazine ethosulfate, and 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol as electron acceptors and did not show PVA oxidase activity leading to H2O2 formation. The enzyme was active toward low-molecular-weight secondary alcohols rather than primary alcohols. A membrane-bound PVA oxidase was also present in cells of VM15C. Although the purified oxidase showed a substrate specificity similar to that of PQQ-dependent PVA dehydrogenase and about threefold-higher PVA-dehydrogenating activity with phenazine methosulfate or phenazine ethosulfate than PVA oxidase activity with H2O2 formation, it was shown that the enzyme does not contain PQQ as the coenzyme, and PQQ did not affect its activity. Incubation of the membrane fraction of cells with PVA caused a reduction in the cytochrome(s) of the fraction. Images PMID:3513704

  1. Effect of SiO2, PVA and glycerol concentrations on chemical and mechanical properties of alginate-based films.

    PubMed

    Yang, Manli; Shi, Jinsheng; Xia, Yanzhi

    2018-02-01

    Sodium alginate (SA)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/SiO 2 nanocomposite films were prepared by in situ polymerization through solution casting and solvent evaporation. The effect of different SA/PVA ratios, SiO 2 , and glycerol content on the mechanical properties, water content, water solubility, and water vapor permeability were studied. The nanocomposite films were characterized by Fourier transform infrared, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and thermal stability (thermogravimetric analysis/differential thermogravimetry) analyses. The nanocomposites showed the highest values of mechanical properties, such as SA/PVA ratio, SiO 2 , and glycerol content was 7:3, 6wt.%, and 0.25g/g SA, respectively. The tensile strength and elongation at break (E%) of the nanocomposites increased by 525.7% and 90.7%, respectively, compared with those of the pure alginate film. The Fourier transform infrared spectra showed a new SiOC band formed in the SA/PVA/SiO 2 nanocomposite film. The scanning electron microscopy image revealed good adhesion between SiO 2 and SA/PVA matrix. After the incorporation of PVA and SiO 2 , the water resistance of the SA/PVA/SiO 2 nanocomposite film was markedly improved. Transparency decreased with increasing PVA content but was enhanced by adding SiO 2 . Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  2. Mechanical properties and shape memory effect of thermal-responsive polymer based on PVA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lin, Liulan; Zhang, Lingfeng; Guo, Yanwei

    2018-01-01

    In this study, the effect of content of glutaraldehyde (GA) on the shape memory behavior of a shape memory polymer based on polyvinyl alcohol chemically cross-linked with GA was investigated. Thermal-responsive shape memory composites with three different GA levels, GA-PVA (3 wt%, 5 wt%, 7 wt%), were prepared by particle melting, mold forming and freeze-drying technique. The mechanical properties, thermal properties and shape memory behavior were measured by differential scanning calorimeter, physical bending test and cyclic thermo-mechanical test. The addition of GA to PVA led to a steady shape memory transition temperature and an improved mechanical compressive strength. The composite with 5 wt% of GA exhibited the best shape recoverability. Further increase in the crosslinking agent content of GA would reduce the recovery force and prolong the recovery time due to restriction in the movement of the soft PVA chain segments. These results provide important information for the study on materials in 4D printing.

  3. Electrospun PVA/HAp nanocomposite nanofibers: biomimetics of mineralized hard tissues at a lower level of complexity.

    PubMed

    Kim, Gyeong-Man; Asran, Ashraf Sh; Michler, Georg H; Simon, Paul; Kim, Jeong-Sook

    2008-12-01

    Based on the biomimetic approaches the present work describes a straightforward technique to mimic not only the architecture (the morphology) but also the chemistry (the composition) of the lowest level of the hierarchical organization of bone. This technique uses an electrospinning (ES) process with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanoparticles. To determine morphology, crystalline structures and thermal properties of the resulting electrospun fibers with the pure PVA and PVA/HAp nanocomposite (NC) before electrospinning various techniques were employed, including transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution TEM (HR-TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). In addition, FT-IR spectroscopy was carried out to analyze the complex structural changes upon undergoing electrospinning as well as interactions between HAp and PVA. The morphological and crystallographic investigations revealed that the rod-like HAp nanoparticles exhibit a nanoporous morphology and are embedded within the electrospun fibers. A large number of HAp nanorods are preferentially oriented parallel to the longitudinal direction of the electrospun PVA fibers, which closely resemble the naturally mineralized hard tissues of bones. Due to abundant OH groups present in PVA and HAp nanorods, they strongly interact via hydrogen bonding within the electrospun PVA/HAp NC fibers, which results in improved thermal properties. The unique physiochemical features of the electrospun PVA/HAp NC nanofibers prepared by the ES process will open up a wide variety of future applications related to hard tissue replacement and regeneration (bone and dentin), not limited to coating implants.

  4. Evaluation of PVA biodegradable electric conductive membranes for nerve regeneration in axonotmesis injuries: the rat sciatic nerve animal model.

    PubMed

    Ribeiro, Jorge; Caseiro, Ana Rita; Pereira, Tiago; Armada-da-Silva, Paulo Alexandre; Pires, Isabel; Prada, Justina; Amorim, Irina; Leal Reis, Inês; Amado, Sandra; Santos, José Domingos; Bompasso, Simone; Raimondo, Stefania; Varejão, Artur Severo Proença; Geuna, Stefano; Luís, Ana Lúcia; Maurício, Ana Colette

    2017-05-01

    The therapeutic effect of three polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) membranes loaded with electrically conductive materials - carbon nanotubes (PVA-CNTs) and polypyrrole (PVA-PPy) - were tested in vivo for neuro-muscular regeneration after an axonotmesis injury in the rat sciatic nerve. The membranes electrical conductivity measured was 1.5 ± 0.5 × 10 -6 S/m, 579 ± 0.6 × 10 -6 S/m, and 1837.5 ± 0.7 × 10 -6 S/m, respectively. At week-12, a residual motor and nociceptive deficit were present in all treated groups, but at week-12, a better recovery to normal gait pattern of the PVA-CNTs and PVA-PPy treated groups was observed. Morphometrical analysis demonstrated that PVA-CNTs group presented higher myelin thickness and lower g-ratio. The tibialis anterior muscle, in the PVA-PPy and PVA-CNTs groups showed a 9% and 19% increase of average fiber size area and a 5% and 10% increase of the "minimal Feret's diameter," respectively. No inflammation, degeneration, fibrosis or necrosis were detected in lung, liver, kidneys, spleen, and regional lymph nodes and absence of carbon deposits was confirmed with Von Kossa and Masson-Fontana stains. In conclusion, the membranes of PVA-CNTs and PVA-PPy are biocompatible and have electrical conductivity. The higher electrical conductivity measured in PVA-CNTs membrane might be responsible for the positive results on maturation of myelinated fibers. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 105A: 1267-1280, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  5. Thermal degradation of ternary blend films containing PVA/chitosan/vanillin

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kasai, Deepak; Chougale, Ravindra; Masti, Saraswati; Narasgoudar, Shivayogi

    2018-05-01

    The ternary chitosan/poly (vinyl alcohol)/vanillin blend films were prepared by solution casting method. The influence of equal weight percent of poly (vinyl alcohol) and vanillin on thermal stability of the chitosan blend films were investigated by using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The kinetic parameters such as enthalpy (ΔH*), entropy (ΔS*), and Gibbs free energy (ΔG*) in the first and second decomposition steps based on the thermogravimetric data were calculated. The thermal stabilities of the blend films were confirmed by thermodynamic parameters obtained in the activation energies, which indicated that increase in the equal weight percent of PVA/vanillin decreased the thermal stability of the chitosan film.

  6. Water properties in a novel thermoswelling poly(vinyl alcohol) derivative hydrogel as studied by nuclear magnetic resonance and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.

    PubMed

    Wang, Jianquan; Satoh, Mitsuru

    2010-08-17

    Water properties in a novel thermoswelling hydrogel, which was prepared from poly(vinyl alcohol)-trimellitate (PVA-T) by a simple chemical cross-linking and swollen in 0.1-1.0 M Li(2)SO(4) solutions, were investigated through nuclear magnetic resonance and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopies. The spin-spin relaxation of the water proton in the hydrogel was measured at 5-35 degrees C, and the results were analyzed with a two-component model to obtain a long T(2) and a short T(2) as well as their fractions (f(short) = 1 - f(long)). The f(short) values thus obtained proved to be a linear function of the gel swelling ratio, and all of the data, except for an upper deviation at 1.0 M Li(2)SO(4), were found to be on an almost same line irrespective of the temperature and the salt concentration. This dependency of f(short) on the swelling degree strongly suggests that the temperature increment has an equivalent effect as that of the SO(4)(2-) concentration; namely, scission of inter(intra-)molecular hydrogen bonding (HB) between the COOHs on the side group must be responsible for the observed thermoswelling in the sulfate salt solutions. The upper deviation of f(short) at 1.0 M from the "master line" was reasonably interpreted in terms of the salting-out effect by the concentrated sulfate anion. On the other hand, attenuated total reflection-FTIR measurements for a gel plate revealed that an appreciable dissociation of the carboxyl group occurred only in the 1.0 M Li(2)SO(4) system. This finding, in turn, means that gel swelling with an increase in the salt concentration up to 0.5 M is not caused by the ionization of the gel and supports the scission of the intermolecular HB. Hydrophobic hydration around the main chain was investigated via a peak shift of the stretching vibration of -CH(2)-, and the slight red shift observed only at 1.0 M suggested that the salting-out effect onto the hydrophobic hydration is rather limited and the hydration around the main

  7. Rheological properties of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) derived composite membranes for fuel cells

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Remiš, T.

    2017-01-01

    Rheological properties of new anhydrous proton conducting membrane based on PVA, tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS),sulfosuccinic acid (SSA), titanium dioxide (TiO2)was examined at various stoichiometric ratios. SSA was used as sulfonating agents to form a crosslinked structure and as proton source, whereas TEO Sand TiO2were utilized to improve the thermal and mechanical properties of the membrane. In order to verify that all the substances were immobilized into the matrix, the membranes were analysed by means of FT-IR. The rheological, mechanical and thermal properties of the membranes were investigated using rheometer ARES G2 and thermogravimetic analyser (TGA).The analysis of mixed PVA solutions exhibited a unique behaviour of viscosity with increased crosslink density. The dynamic storage modulus G´ of dried composite membranes shows better mechanical resistance and increased tolerance to pressure applied during membrane electrode assembly (MEA).

  8. pH- and sugar-sensitive multilayer films composed of phenylboronic acid (PBA)-modified poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PBA-PAH) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA): A significant effect of PBA content on the film stability.

    PubMed

    Seno, Masaru; Yoshida, Kentaro; Sato, Katsuhiko; Anzai, Jun-ichi

    2016-05-01

    Multilayer thin films composed of phenylboronic acid (PBA)-modified poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH), PBA-PAH, with different PBA contents were prepared to study the effect of PBA content on the stability of the films. An alternate deposition of PBA-PAH and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) on the surface of a quartz slide afforded multilayer films through forming boronate ester bonds between PBA-PAH and PVA. The 10-layered (PBA-PAH/PVA)10 films constructed using PBA-PAHs containing 16% and 26% PBA residues were stable in aqueous solutions over the range of pH 4.0-10.0, whereas the multilayer films composed of PBA-PAHs with 5.9% and 8.3% PBA decomposed at pH 8.0 or lower. The pH-sensitive decomposition of the films was rationalized based on the destabilization of the boronate ester bonds in neutral and acidic solutions. In addition, the (PBA-PAH/PVA)10 films decomposed in glucose and fructose solutions as a result of competitive binding of sugars to PBA-PAH in the films. The sugar response of the films depended on the PBA content in PBA-PAH. The (PBA-PAH/PVA)10 films consisting of 16% and 26% PBA-substituted PBA-PAHs are sensitive to physiological relevant level of glucose at pH7.4 while stable in glucose-free solution, suggesting a potential use of the films in constructing glucose-induced delivery systems. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Preparation and characterization of gamma irradiated Starch/PVA/ZnO nanocomposite films

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Akhavan, Azam; Khoylou, Farah; Ataeivarjovi, Ebrahim

    2017-09-01

    In this study starch/PVA/ZnO nanocomposite films with antibacterial activity were prepared and modified using gamma irradiation for packaging applications. ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized from Zn(OH)2 using hydrothermal process and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The prepared ZnO NPs were incorporated into blend films of starch and poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) with different concentrations from 0.1 to 1 wt% using solution casting method. The results of SEM confirmed good dispersion of ZnO NPs into the films while FTIR spectroscopy showed interactions between ZnO particles and starch/PVA blend. The nanocomposite films were irradiated at the dose range of 1-5 kGy. It was found that gamma irradiation induces a significant reduction in water absorptions of the films at the dose of 3 kGy. Different trends were observed for the tensile and elongation properties of the irradiated films. Based on the results, the bacterial growth on the films was effectively inhibited when the dosage of ZnO NPs was only 0.5 wt%.

  10. Preparation of PVA membrane for immobilization of GOD for glucose biosensor.

    PubMed

    Kumar, Jitendra; D'Souza, S F

    2008-03-15

    A membrane was prepared using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) with low and high degree of polymerization (DOP), acetone, benzoic acid (BA) and was cross-linked by UV treatment. Membrane composition was optimized on the basis of swelling index. Membrane prepared with 12% low DOP and 8% high DOP of PVA, 2% BA, dissolved in buffer containing 20% acetone and cross-linked with UV treatment exhibited lower swelling index. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) study of the membranes showed appearance of a strong band at approximately 2337 cm(-1) when UV was used for cross-linking in the presence of benzoic acid. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) study revealed that membrane cross-linked with UV treatment was smoother. Glucose oxidase (GOD)-PVA membrane was associated with the dissolved oxygen (DO) probe for biosensor reading. Glucose was detected on the basis of depletion of oxygen, when immobilized GOD oxidizes glucose to gluconolactone. A wide detection range, 0.9-225 mg/dl was estimated from the linear range of calibration plot of biosensor reading. Membranes were reused for 32 reactions without significant loss of activity and stored for 30 days (approximately 90% activity) at 4 degrees C. Membranes were also used with real blood samples.

  11. Development of Eco-friendly Soy Protein Isolate Films with High Mechanical Properties through HNTs, PVA, and PTGE Synergism Effect

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Xiaorong; Song, Ruyuan; Zhang, Wei; Qi, Chusheng; Zhang, Shifeng; Li, Jianzhang

    2017-01-01

    This study was to develop novel soy protein isolate-based films for packaging using halloysite nanotubes (HNTs), poly-vinyl alcohol (PVA), and 1,2,3-propanetriol-diglycidyl-ether (PTGE). The structural, crystallinity, opacity, micromorphology, and thermal stability of the resultant SPI/HNTs/PVA/PTGE film were analyzed by the Attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transformed infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-Vis spectrophotometry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA). The SPI/HNTs/PVA/PTGE film illustrated that HNTs were uniformly dispersed in the SPI matrix and the thermal stability of the film was enhanced. Furthermore, the tensile strength (TS) of the SPI/HNTs/PVA/PTGE film was increased by 329.3% and the elongation at the break (EB) remained unchanged. The water absorption (WA) and the moisture content (MC) were decreased by 5.1% and 10.4%, respectively, compared to the unmodified film. The results highlighted the synergistic effects of SPI, HNTs, PVA, and PTGE on the mechanical properties, water resistance, and thermal stability of SPI films, which showed excellent strength and flexibility. In short, SPI films prepared from HNTs, PVA, and PTGE showed considerable potential as packaging materials. PMID:28281634

  12. Development of Eco-friendly Soy Protein Isolate Films with High Mechanical Properties through HNTs, PVA, and PTGE Synergism Effect

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Xiaorong; Song, Ruyuan; Zhang, Wei; Qi, Chusheng; Zhang, Shifeng; Li, Jianzhang

    2017-03-01

    This study was to develop novel soy protein isolate-based films for packaging using halloysite nanotubes (HNTs), poly-vinyl alcohol (PVA), and 1,2,3-propanetriol-diglycidyl-ether (PTGE). The structural, crystallinity, opacity, micromorphology, and thermal stability of the resultant SPI/HNTs/PVA/PTGE film were analyzed by the Attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transformed infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-Vis spectrophotometry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA). The SPI/HNTs/PVA/PTGE film illustrated that HNTs were uniformly dispersed in the SPI matrix and the thermal stability of the film was enhanced. Furthermore, the tensile strength (TS) of the SPI/HNTs/PVA/PTGE film was increased by 329.3% and the elongation at the break (EB) remained unchanged. The water absorption (WA) and the moisture content (MC) were decreased by 5.1% and 10.4%, respectively, compared to the unmodified film. The results highlighted the synergistic effects of SPI, HNTs, PVA, and PTGE on the mechanical properties, water resistance, and thermal stability of SPI films, which showed excellent strength and flexibility. In short, SPI films prepared from HNTs, PVA, and PTGE showed considerable potential as packaging materials.

  13. Fabrication of (PPC/NCC)/PVA composites with inner-outer double constrained structure and improved glass transition temperature.

    PubMed

    Cui, Shaoying; Li, Li; Wang, Qi

    2018-07-01

    Improving glass transition temperature (T g ) and mechanical property of the environment-friendly poly(propylene carbonate) via intermacromolecular complexation through hydrogen bonding is attractive and of great importance. A novel and effective strategy to prepare (polypropylene carbonate/nanocrystalline cellulose)/polyvinyl alcohol ((PPC/NCC)/PVA) composites with inner-outer double constrained structure was reported in this work. Outside the PPC phase, PVA, as a strong skeleton at microscale, could constrain the movement of PPC molecular chains by forming hydrogen bonding with PPC at the interface of PPC and PVA phases; inside the PPC phase, the rod-like NCC could restrain the flexible molecular chains of PPC at nanoscale by forming multi-hydrogen bonding with PPC. Under the synergistic effect of this novel inner-outer double constrained structure, T g , mechanical properties and thermal stability of (PPC/NCC)/PVA composite were significantly increased, e.g. T g of the composite researched the maximum value of 49.6 °C, respectively 15.6 °C, 5.7 °C and 4.2 °C higher than that of PPC, PPC/NCC and PPC/PVA composite. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Structural analysis, and antioxidant and antibacterial properties of chitosan-poly (vinyl alcohol) biodegradable films.

    PubMed

    Hajji, Sawssen; Chaker, Achraf; Jridi, Mourad; Maalej, Hana; Jellouli, Kemel; Boufi, Sami; Nasri, Moncef

    2016-08-01

    The development and characterization of biodegradable blend films based on chitosan and poly (vinyl alcohol) for possible use in a variety of biological activities are reported. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectra of chitosan-poly (vinyl alcohol) (Ch/PVA) films showed characteristics peaks shifting to a lower frequency range due to hydrogen bonding between -OH of PVA and -NH2 of chitosan. The chitosan and PVA polymers presented good compatibility. The morphology study of chitosan and composite films showed a compact and homogenous structure. The tensile strength and elongation at break increased with PVA content. In fact, the highest tensile strength and elongation at break (53.58 MPa and 454 %) occurs with pure PVA film. The results showed that PVA incorporation in the blends contributes to increase the intermolecular interactions, thus improving the mechanical properties. In addition, the prepared films demonstrated high antioxidant activities monitored by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging, reducing power, and β-carotene bleaching activity. Nevertheless, PVA addition reduced antioxidant and antibacterial activities against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria tested.

  15. Uniaxial Drawing of Graphene-PVA Nanocomposites: Improvement in Mechanical Characteristics via Strain-Induced Exfoliation of Graphene

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jan, Rahim; Habib, Amir; Akram, Muhammad Aftab; Zia, Tanveer-ul-Haq; Khan, Ahmad Nawaz

    2016-08-01

    Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-stabilized graphene nanosheets (GNS) of lateral dimension ( L) ~1 μm are obtained via liquid phase exfoliation technique to prepare its composites in the PVA matrix. These composites show low levels of reinforcements due to poor alignment of GNS within the matrix as predicted by the modified Halpin-Tsai model. Drawing these composites up to 200 % strain, a significant improvement in mechanical properties is observed. Maximum values for Young's modulus and strength are ~×4 and ~×2 higher respectively than that of neat PVA. Moreover, the rate of increase of the modulus with GNS volume fraction is up to 700 GPa, higher than the values predicted using the Halpin-Tsai theory. However, alignment along with strain-induced de-aggregation of GNS within composites accounts well for the obtained results as confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) characterization.

  16. Immobilization of naringinase in PVA-alginate matrix using an innovative technique.

    PubMed

    Nunes, Mário A P; Vila-Real, Hélder; Fernandes, Pedro C B; Ribeiro, Maria H L

    2010-04-01

    A synthetic polymer, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), a cheap and nontoxic synthetic polymer to organism, has been ascribed for biocatalyst immobilization. In this work PVA-alginate beads were developed with thermal, mechanical, and chemical stability to high temperatures (<80 degrees C). The combination of alginate and bead treatment with sodium sulfate not only prevented agglomeration but produced beads of high gel strength and conferred enzyme protection from inactivation by boric acid. Naringinase from Penicillium decumbens was immobilized in PVA (10%)-alginate beads with three different sizes (1-3 mm), at three different alginate concentrations (0.2-1.0%), and these features were investigated in terms of swelling ratio within the beads, enzyme activity, and immobilization yield during hydrolysis of naringin. The pH and temperature optimum were 4.0 and 70 degrees C for the PVA-alginate-immobilized naringinase. The highest naringinase activity yield in PVA (10%)-alginate (1%) beads of 2 mm was 80%, at pH 4.0 and 70 degrees C. The Michaelis constant (K(Mapp)) and the maximum reaction velocity (V(maxapp)) were evaluated for both free (K(Mapp) = 0.233 mM; V(maxapp) = 0.13 mM min(-1)) and immobilized naringinase (K(Mapp) = 0.349 mM; V(maxapp) = 0.08 mM min(-1)). The residual activity of the immobilized enzyme was followed in eight consecutive batch runs with a retention activity of 70%. After 6 weeks, upon storage in acetate buffer pH 4 at 4 degrees C, the immobilized biocatalyst retained 90% of the initial activity. These promising results are illustrative of the potential of this immobilization strategy for the system evaluated and suggest that its application may be effectively performed for the entrapment of other biocatalysts.

  17. Structural and optical characterization of PVA:KMnO4 based solid polymer electrolyte

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Abdullah, Omed Gh.; Aziz, Shujahadeen B.; Rasheed, Mariwan A.

    Solid polymer electrolyte films of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) doped with a different weight percent of potassium permanganate (KMnO4) were prepared by standard solution cast method. XRD and FTIR techniques were performed for structural study. Complex formation between the PVA polymer and KMnO4 salt was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The description of crystalline nature of the solid polymer electrolyte films has been confirmed by XRD analysis. The UV-Visible absorption spectra were analyzed in terms of absorption formula for non-crystalline materials. The fundamental optical parameters such as optical band gap energy, refractive index, optical conductivity, and dielectric constants have been investigated and showed a clear dependence on the KMnO4 concentration. The observed value of optical band gap energy for pure PVA is about 6.27 eV and decreases to a value 3.12 eV for the film sample formed with 4 wt% KMnO4 salt. The calculated values of refractive index and the dielectric constants of the polymer electrolyte films increase with increasing KMnO4 content.

  18. Cytotoxicity associated with electrospun polyvinyl alcohol.

    PubMed

    Pathan, Saif G; Fitzgerald, Lisa M; Ali, Syed M; Damrauer, Scott M; Bide, Martin J; Nelson, David W; Ferran, Christiane; Phaneuf, Tina M; Phaneuf, Matthew D

    2015-11-01

    Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is a synthetic, water-soluble polymer, with applications in industries ranging from textiles to biomedical devices. Research on electrospinning of PVA has been targeted toward optimizing or finding novel applications in the biomedical field. However, the effects of electrospinning on PVA biocompatibility have not been thoroughly evaluated. In this study, the cytotoxicity of electrospun PVA (nPVA) which was not crosslinked after electrospinning was assessed. PVA polymers of several molecular weights were dissolved in distilled water and electrospun using the same parameters. Electrospun PVA materials with varying molecular weights were then dissolved in tissue culture medium and directly compared against solutions of nonelectrospun PVA polymer in human coronary artery smooth muscle cells and human coronary artery endothelial cells cultures. All nPVA solutions were cytotoxic at a threshold molar concentration that correlated with the molecular weight of the starting PVA polymer. In contrast, none of the nonelectrospun PVA solutions caused any cytotoxicity, regardless of their concentration in the cell culture. Evaluation of the nPVA material by differential scanning calorimetry confirmed that polymer degradation had occurred after electrospinning. To elucidate the identity of the nPVA component that caused cytotoxicity, nPVA materials were dissolved, fractionated using size exclusion columns, and the different fractions were added to HCASMC and human coronary artery endothelial cells cultures. These studies indicated that the cytotoxic component of the different nPVA solutions were present in the low-molecular-weight fraction. Additionally, the amount of PVA present in the 3-10 kg/mol fraction was approximately sixfold greater than that in the nonelectrospun samples. In conclusion, electrospinning of PVA resulted in small-molecular-weight fractions that were cytotoxic to cells. This result demonstrates that biocompatibility of electrospun

  19. Uniaxial Drawing of Graphene-PVA Nanocomposites: Improvement in Mechanical Characteristics via Strain-Induced Exfoliation of Graphene.

    PubMed

    Jan, Rahim; Habib, Amir; Akram, Muhammad Aftab; Zia, Tanveer-Ul-Haq; Khan, Ahmad Nawaz

    2016-12-01

    Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-stabilized graphene nanosheets (GNS) of lateral dimension (L) ~1 μm are obtained via liquid phase exfoliation technique to prepare its composites in the PVA matrix. These composites show low levels of reinforcements due to poor alignment of GNS within the matrix as predicted by the modified Halpin-Tsai model. Drawing these composites up to 200 % strain, a significant improvement in mechanical properties is observed. Maximum values for Young's modulus and strength are ~×4 and ~×2 higher respectively than that of neat PVA. Moreover, the rate of increase of the modulus with GNS volume fraction is up to 700 GPa, higher than the values predicted using the Halpin-Tsai theory. However, alignment along with strain-induced de-aggregation of GNS within composites accounts well for the obtained results as confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) characterization.

  20. 76 FR 13982 - Antidumping Duty Order: Polyvinyl Alcohol From Taiwan

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-03-15

    ...: Polyvinyl Alcohol From Taiwan AGENCY: Import Administration, International Trade Administration, Department... on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) from Taiwan. DATES: Effective Date: March 15, 2011. FOR FURTHER... from Taiwan. See Polyvinyl Alcohol From Taiwan: Final Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value...

  1. Synthesis of wheat straw cellulose-g-poly (potassium acrylate)/PVA semi-IPNs superabsorbent resin.

    PubMed

    Liu, Jia; Li, Qian; Su, Yuan; Yue, Qinyan; Gao, Baoyu; Wang, Rui

    2013-04-15

    To better use wheat straw and minimize its negative impact on environment, a novel semi-interpenetrating polymer networks (semi-IPNs) superabsorbent resin (SAR) composed of wheat straw cellulose-g-poly (potassium acrylate) (WSC-g-PKA) network and linear polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was prepared by polymerization in the presence of a redox initiating system. The structure and morphology of semi-IPNs SAR were characterized by means of FTIR, SEM and TGA, which confirmed that WSC and PVA participated in the graft polymerization reaction with acrylic acid (AA). The factors that can influence the water absorption of the semi-IPNs SAR were investigated and optimized, including the weight ratios of AA to WSC and PVA to WSC, the content of initiator and crosslinker, neutralization degree (ND) of AA, reaction temperature and time. The semi-IPNs SAR prepared under optimized synthesis condition gave the best water absorption of 266.82 g/g in distilled water and 34.32 g/g in 0.9 wt% NaCl solution. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Impedance studies of a green blend polymer electrolyte based on PVA and Aloe-vera

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Selvalakshmi, S.; Mathavan, T.; Vijaya, N.; Selvasekarapandian, Premalatha, M.; Monisha, S.

    2016-05-01

    The development of polymer electrolyte materials for energy generating and energy storage devices is a challenge today. A new type of blended green electrolyte based on Poly-vinyl alcohol (PVA) and Aloe-vera has been prepared by solution casting technique. The blending of polymers may lead to the increase in stability due to one polymer portraying itself as a mechanical stiffener and the other as a gelled matrix supported by the other. The prepared blend electrolytes were subjected to Ac impedance studies. It has been found out that the polymer film in which 1 gm of PVA was dissolved in 40 ml of Aloe-vera extract exhibits highest conductivity and its value is 3.08 × 10-4 S cm-1.

  3. Electrophoretic co-deposition of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) reinforced alginate-Bioglass® composite coating on stainless steel: mechanical properties and in-vitro bioactivity assessment.

    PubMed

    Chen, Qiang; Cabanas-Polo, Sandra; Goudouri, Ourania-Menti; Boccaccini, Aldo R

    2014-07-01

    PVA reinforced alginate-bioactive glass (BG) composite coatings were produced on stainless steel by a single step electrophoretic deposition (EPD) process. The present paper discusses the co-deposition mechanism of the three components and presents a summary of the relevant properties of the composite coatings deposited from suspensions with different PVA concentrations. Homogeneous composite coatings with compact microstructure and increased thickness, i.e. as high as 10 μm, were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The surface roughness of coatings with different PVA contents was slightly increased, while a significant increase of water contact angles due to PVA addition was detected and discussed. Improved adhesion strength of coatings containing different amounts of PVA was quantitatively and qualitatively confirmed by pull-off adhesion and cycled bending tests, respectively. In-vitro bioactivity tests were performed in simulated body fluid (SBF) for 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 7, and 14 days, respectively. The decomposition rate of the coatings was reduced with PVA content, and rapid hydroxyapatite forming ability of the composite coatings in SBF was confirmed by FTIR and XRD analyses. According to the results of this study, composite alginate-Bioglass® bioactive coatings combined with PVA are proposed as promising candidates for dental and orthopedic applications. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. The optimization of CNT-PVA nanocomposite for mild steel coating: Effect of CNTs concentration on the corrosion rate of mild steel

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Maryam, M.; Ibrahim, N. M. A. A.; Eswar, K. A.; Guliling, M.; Suhaimi, M. H. F.; Khusaimi, Z.; Abdullah, S.; Rusop, M.

    2018-05-01

    Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) are molecular-scale tubes of graphitic carbon which have outstanding mechanical and magnetic properties with extraordinary strength. It can be said that CNTs can be used in coating application to prevent corrosion and lower the rate of corrosion on steel. However, CNT alone cannot be used for coating purposes. Therefore, by combining it with polymer to produce a nanocomposite thin film, it can be used for nanocoating on mild steel substrate. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was chosen due to its high strength and high modulus polymer fibers and has the possibilities of improving the physicochemical properties of carbon nanotubes. Carbon nanotubes and polyvinyl alcohol (CNT-PVA) nanocomposite were prepared by using sol-gel method and coated as thin film on mild steel substrate by using spin coating. Sol-gel is a convenient technique used for the production of nanocomposite aqueous solution. Five samples were prepared at the different concentration of CNTs-PVA to verify the corrosion rate application. The samples were then characterized by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) obtaining the structural properties, surface morphology and topography of samples. Raman spectroscopy was used to determine the microraman spectra of CNTs which showed the quality and purity of samples. Finally, corrosion test was done to measure the corrosion rate of samples at the different concentration of CNTs/PVA nanocomposite.

  5. Silk Nanospheres and Microspheres from Silk/PVA Blend Films for Drug Delivery

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Xiaoqin; Yucel, Tuna; Lu, Qiang; Hu, Xiao; Kaplan, David L.

    2009-01-01

    Silk fibroin protein-based micro- and nanospheres provide new options for drug delivery due to their biocompatibility, biodegradability and their tunable drug loading and release properties. In the present study, we report a new aqueous-based preparation method for silk spheres with controllable sphere size and shape. The preparation was based on phase separation between silk fibroin and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) at a weight ratio of 1/1 and 1/4. Water-insoluble silk spheres were easily obtained from the blend in a three step process: (1) air-drying the blend solution into a film, (2) film dissolution in water and (3) removal of residual PVA by subsequent centrifugation. In both cases, the spheres had approximately 30% beta-sheet content and less than 5% residual PVA. Spindle-shaped silk particles, as opposed to the spherical particles formed above, were obtained by stretching the blend films before dissolving in water. Compared to the 1/1 ratio sample, the silk spheres prepared from the 1/4 ratio sample showed a more homogeneous size distribution ranging from 300 nm up to 20 μm. Further studies showed that sphere size and polydispersity could be controlled either by changing the concentration of silk and PVA or by applying ultrasonication on the blend solution. Drug loading was achieved by mixing model drugs in the original silk solution. The distribution and loading efficiency of the drug molecules in silk spheres depended on their hydrophobicity and charge, resulting in different drug release profiles. The entire fabrication procedure could be completed within one day. The only chemical used in the preparation except water was PVA, an FDA-approved ingredient in drug formulations. Silk micro- and nanospheres reported have potential as drug delivery carriers in a variety of biomedical applications. PMID:19945157

  6. Fouling Resistant CA/PVA/TiO2 Imprinted Membranes for Selective Recognition and Separation Salicylic Acid from Waste Water

    PubMed Central

    Yu, Xiaopeng; Mi, Xueyang; He, Zhihui; Meng, Minjia; Li, Hongji; Yan, Yongsheng

    2017-01-01

    Highly selective cellulose acetate (CA)/poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/titanium dioxide (TiO2) imprinted membranes were synthesized by phase inversion and dip coating technique. The CA blend imprinted membrane was synthesized by phase inversion technique with CA as membrane matrix, polyethyleneimine (PEI) as the functional polymer, and the salicylic acid (SA) as the template molecule. The CA/PVA/TiO2 imprinted membranes were synthesized by dip coating of CA blend imprinted membrane in PVA and different concentration (0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4 wt %) of TiO2 nanoparticles aqueous solution. The SEM analysis showed that the surface morphology of membrane was strongly influenced by the concentration of TiO2 nanoparticles. Compared with CA/PVA-TiO2(0.05, 0.1, 0.2%)-MIM, the CA/PVA-TiO2(0.4%)-MIM possessed higher membrane flux, kinetic equilibrium adsorption amount, binding capacity and better selectivity for SA. It was found that the pseudo-second-order kinetic model was studied to describe the kinetic of CA/PVA-TiO2(0.2%)-MIM judging by multiple regression analysis. Adsorption isotherm analysis indicated that the maximum adsorption capacity for SA were 24.43 mg g−1. Moreover, the selectivity coefficients of CA/PVA-TiO2 (0.2%)-MIM for SA relative to p-hydroxybenzoic acid (p-HB) and methyl salicylate (MS) were 3.87 and 3.55, respectively. PMID:28184369

  7. Optical and structural behaviors of crosslinked polyvinyl alcohol thin films

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pandit, Subhankar; Kundu, Sarathi

    2018-04-01

    Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) has excellent properties like uniaxial tensile stress, chemical resistance, biocompatibility, etc. The properties of PVA further can be tuned by crosslinking process. In this work, a simple heat treatment method is used to find out the optimum crosslinking of PVA and the corresponding structural and optical responses are explored. The PVA crosslinking is done by exposing the films at different temperatures and time intervals. The optical property of pure and heat treated PVA films are investigated by UV-Vis absorption and photoluminescence emission spectroscopy and structural modifications are studied by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The absorption peaks of pure PVA are observed at ≈ 280 and 335 nm and the corresponding emission is observed at ≈ 424 nm. The pure PVA showed modified optical behaviors after the heat treatment. In addition, dipping the PVA films in hot water (85°C) for nearly 20 minutes also show impact on both structural and optical properties. From FTIR spectroscopy, the changes in vibrational band positions confirm the structural modifications of PVA films.

  8. Birefringence and dichroism of poly(vinyl-alcohol) foils containing phthalazinium ylids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rogojanu, Alina; Dascalu, Carmen Felicia; Zelinschi, Beatrice Carmen; Caprosu, Maria; Dorohoi, Dana Ortansa

    2011-10-01

    Pure and colored with phthalazinium ylids poly(vinyl-alcohol) (PVA) foils were stretched under gentile heating. The birefringence of the thin foils was determined with a Babinet compensator standardized for yellow radiation of a Sodium lamp. The determined birefringence of the colored PVA foils is higher than that of the pure PVA foils. This fact indicates that the phthalazinium ylids facilitate the increase in the anisotropy of the stretched foils. The visible absorption electronic band of phthalazinium ylids was used to estimate the dichroic ratio and the degree of order of the ylid molecules in the stretched PVA foils. An increase in dichroism and birefringence with the degree of stretching has been evidenced for uncolored and colored PVA foils.

  9. Mechanical behavior of the human lumbar intervertebral disc with polymeric hydrogel nucleus implant: An experimental and finite element study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Joshi, Abhijeet Bhaskar

    The origin of the lower back pain is often the degenerated lumbar intervertebral disc (IVD). We are proposing replacement of the degenerated nucleus by a PVA/PVP polymeric hydrogel implant. We hypothesize that a polymeric hydrogel nucleus implant can restore the normal biomechanics of the denucleated IVD by mimicking the natural load transfer phenomenon as in case of the intact IVD. Lumbar IVDs (n = 15) were harvested from human cadavers. In the first part, specimens were tested in four different conditions for compression: Intact, bone in plug, denucleated and Implanted. Hydrogel nucleus implants were chosen to have line-to-line fit in the created nuclear cavity. In the second part, nucleus implant material (modulus) and geometric (height and diameter) parameters were varied and specimens (n = 9) were tested. Nucleus implants with line-to-line fit significantly restored (88%) the compressive stiffness of the denucleated IVD. The synergistic effect between the implant and the intact annulus resulted in the nonlinear increase in implanted IVD stiffness, where Poisson effect of the hydrogel played major role. Nucleus implant parameters were observed to have a significant effect on the compressive stiffness. All implants with modulus in the tested range restored the compressive stiffness. The undersize implants resulted in incomplete restoration while oversize implants resulted in complete restoration compared to the BI condition. Finite element models (FEM) were developed to simulate the actual test conditions and validated against the experimental results for all conditions. The annulus (defined as hyperelastic, isotropic) mainly determined the nonlinear response of the IVD. Validated FEMs predicted 120--3000 kPa as a feasible range for nucleus implant modulus. FEMs also predicted that overdiameter implant would be more effective than overheight implant in terms of stiffness restoration. Underdiameter implants, initially allowed inward deformation of the annulus and

  10. Study of Impact Damage in PVA-ECC Beam under Low-Velocity Impact Loading Using Piezoceramic Transducers and PVDF Thin-Film Transducers.

    PubMed

    Qi, Baoxin; Kong, Qingzhao; Qian, Hui; Patil, Devendra; Lim, Ing; Li, Mo; Liu, Dong; Song, Gangbing

    2018-02-24

    Compared to conventional concrete, polyvinyl alcohol fiber reinforced engineering cementitious composite (PVA-ECC) offers high-strength, ductility, formability, and excellent fatigue resistance. However, impact-induced structural damage is a major concern and has not been previously characterized in PVA-ECC structures. We investigate the damage of PVA-ECC beams under low-velocity impact loading. A series of ball-drop impact tests were performed at different drop weights and heights to simulate various impact energies. The impact results of PVA-ECC beams were compared with mortar beams. A combination of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) thin-film sensors and piezoceramic-based smart aggregate were used for impact monitoring, which included impact initiation and crack evolution. Short-time Fourier transform (STFT) of the signal received by PVDF thin-film sensors was performed to identify impact events, while active-sensing approach was utilized to detect impact-induced crack evolution by the attenuation of a propagated guided wave. Wavelet packet-based energy analysis was performed to quantify failure development under repeated impact tests.

  11. Development of functionalized hydroxyapatite/poly(vinyl alcohol) composites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stipniece, Liga; Salma-Ancane, Kristine; Rjabovs, Vitalijs; Juhnevica, Inna; Turks, Maris; Narkevica, Inga; Berzina-Cimdina, Liga

    2016-06-01

    Based on the well-known pharmaceutical excipient potential of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and clinical success of hydroxyapatite (HAp), the objective of this work was to fabricate functionalized composite microgranules. PVA was modified with succinic anhydride to introduce carboxyl groups (-COOH), respectively, by reaction between the -OH groups of PVA and succinic anhydride, for attachment of drug molecules. For the first time, the functionalized composite microgranules containing HAp/PVA in the ratio of 1:1 were prepared through in situ precipitation of HAp in modified PVA aqueous solutions followed by spray drying of obtained suspensions. The microgranules were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The presence of -COOH groups was verified by FT-IR, and the amount of functional groups added to PVA molecules (averaging 15 mol%) was determined by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). DSC results showed that modification with -COOH groups slightly decreased the thermal stability of PVA. FT-IR and XRD analysis confirmed that the resulting composites contain mainly nanocrystalline HAp and PVA. Moreover, the images taken by FE-SEM revealed that the microgranules consisted of nanosized HAp crystallites homogenously embedded in the PVA matrix. DSC measurements indicated that decomposition mechanism of the HAp/PVA differs from that of pure PVA and occurs at lower temperatures. However, the presence of HAp had minor influence on the thermal decomposition of the PVA modified with succinic anhydride. The investigation of composite microgranules confirmed interaction and integration between the HAp and PVA.

  12. Polymer injection therapy to reverse remodel the papillary muscles: efficacy in reducing mitral regurgitation in a chronic ischemic model.

    PubMed

    Solis, Jorge; Levine, Robert A; Johnson, Benjamin; Guerrero, J Luis; Handschumacher, Mark D; Sullivan, Suzanne; Lam, Kaitlyn; Berlin, Jason; Braithwaite, Gavin J C; Muratoglu, Orhun K; Vlahakes, Gus J; Hung, Judy

    2010-10-01

    Ischemic mitral regurgitation (MR) results from displacement of the papillary muscles caused by ischemic ventricular distortion. Progressive left ventricular (LV) remodeling has challenged therapy. Our hypothesis is that repositioning of the papillary muscles can be achieved by injection of polyvinyl-alcohol (PVA) hydrogel polymer into the myocardium in chronic MR despite advanced LV remodeling. Ten sheep underwent ligation of the circumflex branches to produce chronic ischemic MR over 8 weeks. PVA was injected into the myocardium underlying the infarcted papillary muscle. Two-dimensional and 3D echocardiograms and hemodynamic data were obtained before infarct (baseline), before PVA (chronic MR), and after PVA. PVA injection significantly decreased MR from moderate to severe to trace (MR vena contracta, 5.8±1.2 to1.8±1.3 mm; chronic MR to post-PVA stage; P=0.0003). This was associated with a decrease in infarcted papillary muscle-to-mitral annulus tethering distance (30.3±5.7 to 25.9±4.6 mm, P=0.02), tenting volume (1.8±0.7 to 1.4±0.5 mL, P=0.01), and leaflet closure area (8.8±1.3 cm(2)to 7.6±1.3 cm(2), P=0.004) from chronic MR to post-PVA stages. PVA was not associated with significant decreases in LV ejection fraction (41±3% versus 40±3%, P=NS), end-systolic elastance, τ (82±36 ms to 72±26, P=NS), or LV stiffness coefficient (0.05±0.04 to 0.03±0.01). PVA hydrogel injections improve coaptation and reduce remodeling in chronic MR without impairing LV systolic and diastolic function. This new approach offers a potential alternative for relieving tethering and ischemic MR by correcting papillary muscle position.

  13. Polyvinyl alcohol membranes as alkaline battery separators

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sheibley, D. W.; Gonzalez-Sanabria, O.; Manzo, M. A.

    1982-01-01

    Polyvinly alcohol (PVA) cross-linked with aldehyde reagents yields membranes that demonstrate properties that make them suitable for use as alkaline battery separators. Film properties can be controlled by the choice of cross-linker, cross-link density and the method of cross-linking. Three methods of cross-linking and their effects on film properties are discussed. Film properties can also be modified by using a copolymer of vinyl alcohol and acrylic acid as the base for the separator and cross-linking it similarly to the PVA. Fillers can be incorporated into the films to further modify film properties. Results of separator screening tests and cell tests for several variations of PBA films are discussed.

  14. Novel reverse osmosis membranes composed of modified PVA/Gum Arabic conjugates: Biofouling mitigation and chlorine resistance enhancement.

    PubMed

    Falath, Wail; Sabir, Aneela; Jacob, Karl I

    2017-01-02

    A novel crosslinked Poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) reverse osmosis (RO) thin film membrane conjugated with Gum Arabic (GA) with superb performance and features was synthesized for water desalination. RO membrane desalination parameters, such as hydrophilicity, surface roughness, water permeability, salt rejection, Chlorine resistance and biofouling resistance were evaluated using a dead end RO filtration unit. The incorporation of Pluronic F127 and the conjugation of Gum Arabic improved the overall RO performance of the membranes. This study has shown that the membrane PVA-GA-5 that contains 0.9wt% Gum Arabic provided excellent permeation, salt rejection, Chlorine and biofouling resistance and mechanical strength. The most remarkable result to arise from this research is that the overall RO performance enhancement has been achieved while utilizing PVA/Gum Arabic as a separation layer without the use of a substrate, which eliminates negative effects associated with the use of a substrate like internal concentration polarization. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Synthesis and characterization of new nanocomposites films using alanine-Cu-functionalized graphene oxide as nanofiller and PVA as polymeric matrix for improving of their properties

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Abdolmaleki, Amir; Mallakpour, Shadpour; Karshenas, Azam

    2017-09-01

    In the synthesis of polymer-graphene nanocomposites, for improving properties of nanocomposites, two factors dispersion and strong interfacial interactions between graphene and the polymer, are essential. In the present work, poly(vinyl alcohol) PVA/GO-Cu-alanine nanocomposite films were manufactured using concentrations 0, 1, 3 and 5 wt% of GO-Cu-alanine in water solution. For this purpose, L-alanine amino acid was located on the surface and edges of GO through copper(II) ion as a coordinating function. Then, flexible PVA/GO-Cu-alanine nanocomposite films were fabricated using GO-Cu-alanine as filler and PVA as matrix. Due to the existence of affective interaction between GO-Cu-alanine and PVA matrix, the acquired PVA/GO-Cu-alanine nanocomposites demonstrated great thermal and mechanical properties. Properties of manufactured materials were characterized by Fourier transform infrared, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Thermal gravimetric analysis, elemental analysis, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX).

  16. Effect of Hydroxyl Concentration on Chemical Sensitivity of Polyvinyl Alcohol/Carbon-Black Composite Chemiresistors

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hughes, Robert C.; Patel, Sanjay V.; Yelton, W. Graham

    1999-05-19

    The sensitivity and selectivity of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) / carbon black composite films have been found to vary depending upon the hydroxylation percentage ("-OH") of the polymer. These chemiresistors made from PVA films whose polymer backbone is 88% hydroxylated (PVA88) have a high sensitivity to water, while chemiresistors made from PVA75 have a higher sensitivity to methanol. The minor differences in polymer composition result in films with different Hildebrand volubility parameters. The relative responses of several different PVA-based chemiresistors to solvents with different volubility parameters are presented. In addition, polyvinyl acetate (PVAC) films with PVA88 are used in an arraymore » to distinguish the responses to methanol-water mixtures.« less

  17. Preparation and characterization of electrical conductive PVA based materials for peripheral nerve tube-guides.

    PubMed

    Gonçalves, C; Ribeiro, J; Pereira, T; Luís, A L; Mauricio, A C; Santos, J D; Lopes, M A

    2016-08-01

    Peripheral nerve regeneration is a serious clinical problem. Presently, there are several nerve tube-guides available in the market, however with some limitations. The goal of this work was the development of a biomaterial with high electrical conductivity to produce tube-guides for nerve regeneration after neurotmesis injuries whenrver an end-to-end suture without tension is not possible. A matrix of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) was used loaded with the following electrical conductive materials: COOH-functionalized multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), poly(pyrrole) (PPy), magnesium chloride (MgCl2 ), and silver nitrate (AgNO3 ). The tube-guide production was carried out by a freezing/thawing process (physical crosslinking) with a final annealing treatment. After producing the tube-guide for nerve regeneration, the physicochemical characterization was performed. The most interesting results were achieved by loading PVA with 0.05% of PPy or COOH- functionalized CNTs. These tubes combined the electrical conductivity of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and PPy with the biocompatibility of PVA matrix, with potential clinical application for nerve regeneration. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 104A: 1981-1987, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  18. UV-responsive polyvinyl alcohol nanofibers prepared by electrospinning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Khatri, Zeeshan; Ali, Shamshad; Khatri, Imran; Mayakrishnan, Gopiraman; Kim, Seong Hun; Kim, Ick-Soo

    2015-07-01

    We report UV-responsive polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanofibers for potential application for recording and erasing quick response (QR) codes. We incorporate 1‧-3‧-dihydro-8-methoxy-1‧,3‧,3‧-trimethyl-6-nitrospiro [2H-1-benzopyran-2,2‧-(2H)-indole] (indole) and,3-dihydro-1,3,3-trimethylspiro [2H-indole-2,3‧-[3H] phenanthr [9,10-b] (1,4) oxazine] (oxazine) into PVA polymer matrix via electrospinning technique. The resultant nanofibers were measured for recording-erasing, photo-coloration and thermal reversibility. The rate of photo-coloration of PVA-indole nanofibers was five times higher than the PVA-oxazine nanofibers, whereas the thermal reversibility found to be more than twice as fast as PVA-oxazine nanofibers. Results showed that the resultant nanofibers have very good capability of recording QR codes multiple times. The FTIR spectroscopy and SEM were employed to characterize the electrospun nanofibers. The UV-responsive PVA nanofibers have great potentials as a light-driven nanomaterials incorporated within sensors, sensitive displays and in optical devices such as erasable and rewritable optical storage.

  19. Preparation and Characterization of PVA Alkaline Solid Polymer Electrolyte with Addition of Bamboo Charcoal.

    PubMed

    Fan, Lidan; Wang, Mengyue; Zhang, Zhen; Qin, Gang; Hu, Xiaoyi; Chen, Qiang

    2018-04-26

    Natural bamboo charcoal (BC) powder has been developed as a novel filler in order to further improve performances of the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-based alkaline solid polymer electrolyte (ASPE) by solution casting method. X-ray diffraction patterns of composite polymer electrolyte with BC revealed the decrease in the degree of crystallinity with increasing content of BC. Scanning electron microscopy images showed pores on a micrometer scale (average diameter about 2 μm) distributed inside and on the surface of the membranes, indicating a three-dimension network formed in the polymer framework. The ionic conductivity was measured by the alternating-current (AC) impedance method, and the highest conductivity value of 6.63 × 10 −2 S·cm −1 was obtained with 16 wt % of BC content and m KOH : m PVA = 2:1.5 at 30 °C. The contents of BC and KOH could significantly influence the conductivity. The temperature dependence of the bulk electrical conductivity displayed a combination of Arrhenius nature, and the activation energy for the ion in polymer electrolyte has been calculated. The electrochemical stability window of the electrolyte membrane was over 1.6 V. The thermogravimetric analysis curves showed that the degradation temperatures of PVA-BC-KOH ASPE membranes shifted toward higher with adding BC. A simple nickel-hydrogen battery containing PVA-BC-KOH electrolyte membrane was assembled with a maximum discharge capacity of 193 mAh·g −1 .

  20. Novel alginate hydrogel core-shell systems for combination delivery of ranitidine HCl and aceclofenac.

    PubMed

    Jana, Sougata; Samanta, Abhijit; Nayak, Amit Kumar; Sen, Kalyan Kumar; Jana, Subrata

    2015-03-01

    A novel hydrogel system was successfully developed based on core-shell approach for the delivery of ranitidine HCl and aceclofenac. Aceclofenac-loaded alginate microspheres coated with eudragit L-100 was used as core material and that of freeze-thaw cross-linked chitosan-PVA gels containing ranitidine HCl served as the shell-forming material. The alginate microspheres coated with eudragit L-100 showed drug encapsulation efficiency of 56.06±1.12 to 68.03±2.16% and had average particle sizes of 551.29±25.92 to 677.18±27.05 μm. The viscosity of chitosan-PVA gels ranged between 505.74±1.04 and 582.41±2.09 cps. The formulations were characterized by FTIR, SEM and polarized microscopy analyses. The release of ranitidine HCl was comparatively higher in acidic medium (pH 1.2) than in alkaline medium (pH 7.4). The release of aceclofenac became slower in alkaline medium (pH 7.4) and continued up to 3.5 h. Super case-II transport mechanism was assumed for the release of ranitidine HCl in both media; whereas non-Fickian (anomalous) diffusion mechanism predominated in the release of aceclofenc. Thus, hydrogel-based core-shell formulations were found suitable for simultaneous delivery of aceclofenac and ranitidine HCl which could minimize the chances of excessive gastric acid secretion through suitable ranitidine HCl release in gastric region. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  1. Identification of diffusive transport properties of poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogels from reservoir test.

    PubMed

    Kazimierska-Drobny, Katarzyna; Kaczmarek, Mariusz

    2013-12-01

    In this paper the identification of diffusion coefficient, retardation factor and surface distribution coefficient for selected salts in poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogels is performed. The identification of the transport parameters is based on the previously developed inverse problem technique using experimental data from the reservoir test and the solution of the diffusive transport equation with linear equilibrium sorption. The estimated values of diffusion coefficient are: for physiological fluid (6.30±0.10)×10(-10) m(2)/s, for 1 M NaCl (6.42±0.39)×10(-10) m(2)/s, and for 1 M KCl (7.94±0.38)×10(-10) m(2)/s. The retardation factor for all tested materials and salts is equal or close to one. The average value of the effective surface distribution coefficient is equal to 0.5. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Autonomously Self-Adhesive Hydrogels as Building Blocks for Additive Manufacturing.

    PubMed

    Deng, Xudong; Attalla, Rana; Sadowski, Lukas P; Chen, Mengsu; Majcher, Michael J; Urosev, Ivan; Yin, Da-Chuan; Selvaganapathy, P Ravi; Filipe, Carlos D M; Hoare, Todd

    2018-01-08

    We report a simple method of preparing autonomous and rapid self-adhesive hydrogels and their use as building blocks for additive manufacturing of functional tissue scaffolds. Dynamic cross-linking between 2-aminophenylboronic acid-functionalized hyaluronic acid and poly(vinyl alcohol) yields hydrogels that recover their mechanical integrity within 1 min after cutting or shear under both neutral and acidic pH conditions. Incorporation of this hydrogel in an interpenetrating calcium-alginate network results in an interfacially stiffer but still rapidly self-adhesive hydrogel that can be assembled into hollow perfusion channels by simple contact additive manufacturing within minutes. Such channels withstand fluid perfusion while retaining their dimensions and support endothelial cell growth and proliferation, providing a simple and modular route to produce customized cell scaffolds.

  3. Microstructural and electrical properties of PVA/PVP polymer blend films doped with cupric sulphate

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hemalatha, K.; Gowtham, G. K.; Somashekarappa, H., E-mail: drhssappa@gmail.com

    2016-05-23

    A series of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) polymer blends added with different concentrations of cupric sulphate (CuSO{sub 4}) were prepared by solution casting method and were subjected to X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Ac conductance measurements. An attempt has been made to study the changes in crystal imperfection parameters in PVA/PVP blend films with the increase in concentration of CuSO{sub 4}. Results show that decrease in micro crystalline parameter values is accompanied with increase in the amorphous content in the film which is the reason for film to have more flexibility, biodegradability and good ionic conductivity. AC conductance measurements inmore » these films show that the conductivity increases as the concentration of CuSO{sub 4} increases. These films were suitable for electro chemical applications.« less

  4. Evaluation of structural and optical properties of Ce3+ ions doped (PVA/PVP) composite films for new organic semiconductors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ali, F. M.; Kershi, R. M.; Sayed, M. A.; AbouDeif, Y. M.

    2018-06-01

    Polymer blend films based on Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/Poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) doped with different concentration of cerium ions [(PVA/PVP)-x wt.% Ce3+] (x = 3%, 5%, 10% and 15%) were prepared by the conventional solution casting technique. The characteristics of the prepared polymer composite films were studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), FT-IR and UV-Vis. spectroscopy. The XRD patterns of the investigated samples revealed a clear reduction on the structural parameters such as crystallinity degree and cluster size D of the doped PVA/PVP blend films compared with the virgin one whereas there is no big difference in the d spacing of the product composite films. Significant changes in FT-IR spectra are observed which reveal an interactions between the cerium ions and PVA/PVP blends. The absorption spectra in the ultraviolet-visible region showed a wide red shift in the fundamental absorption edge of (PVA/PVP)-x wt. % Ce3+ composites. The optical gap Eg gradually decreased from 4.54 eV for the undoped PVA/PVP film to 3.10 eV by increasing Ce3+ ions content. The optical dispersion parameters have been analyzed according to Wemple-Didomenico single oscillator model. The dispersion energy Ed, the single oscillator energy Eo, the average inter-band oscillator wavelength λo and the static refractive index no are strongly affected by cerium ions doping. Cerium ions incorporation in PVA/PVP blend films leads to a significant increase in the refractive index and decrease in the optical gap. These results are likely of great important in varieties of applications including polymer waveguides, organic semiconductors, polymer solar cells and optoelectronics devices.

  5. Conductive hydrogel containing 3-ionene

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rembaum, Alan (Inventor); Yen, Shiao-Ping Siao (Inventor)

    1977-01-01

    Cationic polyelectrolytes formed by the polymerization in absence of oxygen of a monomer of the general formula: dispersed ##STR1## where x is 3 or more than 6 and Z is I, Br or Cl to form high charge density linear polymers are dispered in a water-soluble polymer such as polyvinyl alcohol to form a conductive hydrogel.

  6. Polymer Injection Therapy to Reverse Remodel the Papillary Muscles: Efficacy in Reducing Mitral Regurgitation in a Chronic Ischemic Model

    PubMed Central

    Solis, Jorge; Levine, Robert A.; Johnson, Benjamin; Guerrero, J. Luis; Handschumacher, Mark D.; Suzanne, Suzanne; Lam, Kaitlyn; Berlin, Jason; Braithwaite, Gavin J.C.; Muratoglu, Orhun K.; Vlahakes, Gus J.; Hung, Judy

    2010-01-01

    Ischemic mitral regurgitation (IMR) results from displacement of the papillary muscles due to ischemic ventricular distortion. Recurrent IMR is frequent after annuloplasty, particularly when left ventricular remodeling continues to progress. Our hypothesis is that repositioning of the papillary muscles can be achieved by injection of polyvinyl-alcohol (PVA) hydrogel polymer into the myocardium in chronic MR despite advanced left ventricular remodeling. Methods Nine sheep underwent ligation of circumflex branches to produce chronic ischemic MR over eight weeks. Once MR developed, PVA was injected into the myocardium underlying the infarcted PM. 2D and 3D echocardiograms and hemodynamic data were obtained pre infarct (baseline), pre PVA (Chronic MR) and post PVA. Results One animal died early, one did not develop MR, and the remaining 7 developed moderate MR. PVA injection significantly decreased the MR from moderate to trace. This was associated with a decrease in infarcted papillary muscle-to-mitral annulus tethering distance (32.6 ± 4.4 to 27.6 ± 4.2 mm, P<0.05), tenting volume (2.1±0.3 to 1.6 ± 0.3 mm2 P<0.05) and leaflet closure area (9.3 ± 0.8 to 8.2 ± 0.7 mm2, P<0.04). PVA was not associated with significant decreases in LVEF (42 ± 3 % vs 40 ± 2 %, p=ns) or end-systolic elastance. Measures of left ventricular diastolic function, tau (99 ± 55 ms to 87 ± 36;) and left ventricular stiffness coefficient (0.04 ± 0.03 to 0.05 ± 0.03) did not increase post PVA. Conclusions PVA hydrogel injections improve coaptation and reduce remodeling in chronic MR without impairing LV systolic and diastolic function. This new approach offers a potential alternative for relieving ischemic mitral regurgitation by correcting papillary muscle position, thus relieving tethering that causes ischemic mitral regurgitation. PMID:20736444

  7. Graphene-poly(vinyl alcohol) composites: Fabrication, adsorption and electrochemical properties

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Ning; Chang, Peter R.; Zheng, Pengwu; Ma, Xiaofei

    2014-09-01

    Porous composites of graphene oxide (GO)-poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) were fabricated using a process of aqueous suspension precursor freezing, solvent exchange, and ethanol drying. When frozen, ice crystals formed leaving a porous structure, composed of randomly oriented GO sheets consolidated by PVA. The yellow GO-PVA composite could be reduced with glucose to obtain a black porous RGO (PRGO). XRD revealed that PVA enlarged the GO interlay spacing in the GO-PVA composite, and that RGO sheets were highly disordered in single or several layers in PRGO. GO-PVA and PRGO exhibited ultralight densities of 10.52 and 11.42 mg/cm3, respectively. GO-PVA adsorbed greater quantities of water, ethanol, and soybean oil than PRGO. The methylene blue (MB) adsorption pattern for both materials was also investigated. The kinetic adsorption and isotherm data fit the pseudo second-order and the Langmuir models, respectively. The maximum adsorption capacity according to the Langmuir isotherm model was 571.4 mg/g for GO-PVA. The electrochemical properties of PRGO were estimated using cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectrometry, and chronopotentiometry. The PRGO electrode exhibited large capacitance (82.8 F/g) and small internal resistance (0.52 Ω).

  8. Electrical conductivity studies on (1-x)[PVA/PVP]: x[MgCl2{6H2O}] blend polymer electrolytes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Basha, S. K. Shahenoor; Reddy, K. Veera Bhadra; Rao, M. C.

    2018-05-01

    Blend polymer electrolytes of polyvinyl alcohol and polyvinyl pyrrolidone were prepared with different molecular wt% ratios of MgCl2.6H2O by solution cast technique. Electrical conductivity measurements for the prepared films were performed using Keithley electrometer model 6514 and the maximum ionic conductivity was found to be 1.01x10-3 S/cm at 373 K for the prepared composition of 35PVA/35PVP:30MgCl2.6H2O. The maximum ionic conductivity of polymer electrolyte has been used in fabrication of electrochemical cell with the configuration of Mg+/(PVA/PVP+MgCl2.6H2O)/(I2+C+electrolyte).

  9. NOVEL METALLIC AND BIMETALLIC CROSS-LINKED POLY (VINYL ALCOHOL) NANOCOMPOSITES PREPARED UNDER MICROWAVE IRRADIATION

    EPA Science Inventory

    A facile microwave irradiation approach that results in a cross-linking reaction of poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) with metallic and bimetallic systems is described. Nanocomposites of PVA cross-linked metallic systems such as Pt, Cu, and In and bimetallic systems such as Pt-In, Ag-P...

  10. Preparation and characterization of intelligent starch/PVA films for simultaneous colorimetric indication and antimicrobial activity for food packaging applications.

    PubMed

    Liu, Bin; Xu, Han; Zhao, Huiying; Liu, Wei; Zhao, Liyun; Li, Yuan

    2017-02-10

    We have developed an intelligent starch/poly-vinyl alcohol (PVA) film that is capable of monitoring pH changes and inhibiting undesired microbial growth in foods. Starch and PVA polymers in the film were doubly cross-linked by sodium trimetaphosphate and boric acid to improve their water-resistance and mechanical strength. Anthocyanins (ANT) and limonene (LIM) were used to achieve simultaneous colorimetric indication and antimicrobial activity. Firstly, the characterization of surface morphology using SEM confirmed that the starch-PVA-ANT-LIM film possessed a smooth surface. Secondly, the results of the mechanical strength test showed that starch-PVA-ANT-LIM possesses the highest mechanical strength. Additionally, there was a distinguishable change of colors as the film was immersed in solutions of pH ranging from 1.0 to 14.0. Moreover, the film showed excellent antimicrobial activity for three typical undesired microorganisms in foods, Bacillus subtilis, Aspergillus niger, and Staphylococcus aureus. Finally, the film exhibited good color indication and antimicrobial activity on pasteurized milk. The results suggest that the intelligent film reported here shows good capability for both alerting and inhibiting food spoilage. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Polarization, excited states, trans-cis properties and anisotropy of thermal and electrical conductivity of the 4-(phenyldiazenyl)aniline in PVA matrix

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shahab, Siyamak; Filippovich, Liudmila; Sheikhi, Masoome; Kumar, Rakesh; Dikusar, Evgenij; Yahyaei, Hooriye; Muravsky, Alexander

    2017-08-01

    In the present work, Polarization, Excited States, Trans-Cis (E → Z) Isomerization Properties and Anisotropy of Thermal and Electrical Conductivity of the 4-(phenyldiazenyl)aniline in the presence of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) matrix were studied. DFT, UV/Vis, IR-Spectroscopies and Indicator Method were used for Determination of Thermal Conductivity of polymer films. The absorption spectra of the 4-(phenyldiazenyl)aniline in dimethylformamide (DMF) solvent and in aqueous medium were calculated. The nature of absorption peaks of the 4-(phenyldiazenyl)aniline in the UV/Vis spectral regions were interpreted. The solvent effect on the absorption spectrum of the 4-(phenyldiazenyl)aniline has established. The molecular HOMO-LUMO, excitation energies and oscillator strengths for E and Z isomers of the 4-(phenyldiazenyl)aniline have also been calculated and presented. Optical Properties of the PVA-films containing 4-(phenyldiazenyl)aniline have been also investigated. Polarizing Efficiency (PE) of obtained PVA-film is 98-99% at Stretching Degree (Rs) 3.5. Anisotropy of thermal and electrical conductivity of PVA-films containing E and Z isomers of the 4-(phenyldiazenyl)aniline was also measured and discussed.

  12. Study of Impact Damage in PVA-ECC Beam under Low-Velocity Impact Loading Using Piezoceramic Transducers and PVDF Thin-Film Transducers

    PubMed Central

    Qian, Hui; Li, Mo; Liu, Dong; Song, Gangbing

    2018-01-01

    Compared to conventional concrete, polyvinyl alcohol fiber reinforced engineering cementitious composite (PVA-ECC) offers high-strength, ductility, formability, and excellent fatigue resistance. However, impact-induced structural damage is a major concern and has not been previously characterized in PVA-ECC structures. We investigate the damage of PVA-ECC beams under low-velocity impact loading. A series of ball-drop impact tests were performed at different drop weights and heights to simulate various impact energies. The impact results of PVA-ECC beams were compared with mortar beams. A combination of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) thin-film sensors and piezoceramic-based smart aggregate were used for impact monitoring, which included impact initiation and crack evolution. Short-time Fourier transform (STFT) of the signal received by PVDF thin-film sensors was performed to identify impact events, while active-sensing approach was utilized to detect impact-induced crack evolution by the attenuation of a propagated guided wave. Wavelet packet-based energy analysis was performed to quantify failure development under repeated impact tests. PMID:29495277

  13. Ultraflexible Transparent Film Heater Made of Ag Nanowire/PVA Composite for Rapid-Response Thermotherapy Pads.

    PubMed

    Lan, Wei; Chen, Youxin; Yang, Zhiwei; Han, Weihua; Zhou, Jinyuan; Zhang, Yue; Wang, Junya; Tang, Guomei; Wei, Yupeng; Dou, Wei; Su, Qing; Xie, Erqing

    2017-02-22

    Ultraflexible transparent film heaters have been fabricated by embedding conductive silver (Ag) nanowires into a thin poly(vinyl alcohol) film (AgNW/PVA). A cold-pressing method was used to rationally adjust the sheet resistance of the composite films and thus the heating powers of the AgNW/PVA film heaters at certain biases. The film heaters have a favorable optical transmittance (93.1% at 26 Ω/sq) and an outstanding mechanical flexibility (no visible change in sheet resistance after 10 000 bending cycles and at a radius of curvature ≤1 mm). The film heaters have an environmental endurance, and there is no significant performance degradation after being kept at high temperature (80 °C) and high humidity (45 °C, 80% humidity) for half a year. The efficient Joule heating can increase the temperature of the film heaters (20 Ω/sq) to 74 °C in ∼20 s at a bias of 5 V. The fast-heating characteristics at low voltages (a few volts) associated with its transparent and flexibility properties make the poly(dimethylsiloxane)/AgNW/PVA composite film a potential candidate in medical thermotherapy pads.

  14. Enhanced mechanical, thermal and antimicrobial properties of poly(vinyl alcohol)/graphene oxide/starch/silver nanocomposites films.

    PubMed

    Usman, Adil; Hussain, Zakir; Riaz, Asim; Khan, Ahmad Nawaz

    2016-11-20

    In the present work, synthesis of poly(vinyl alcohol)/graphene oxide/starch/silver (PVA/GO/Starch/Ag) nanocomposites films is reported. Such films have been characterized and investigated for their mechanical, thermal and antimicrobial properties. The exfoliation of GO in the PVA matrix occurs owing to the non-covalent interactions of the polymer chains of PVA and hydrophilic surface of the GO layers. Presence of GO in PVA and PVA/starch blends were found to enhance the tensile strength of the nanocomposites system. It was found that the thermal stability of PVA as well as PVA/starch blend systems increased by the incorporation of GO where strong physical bonding between GO layers and PVA/starch blends is assumed to cause thermal barrier effects. Antimicrobial properties of the prepared films were investigated against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Our results show enhanced antimicrobial properties of the prepared films where PVA-GO, PVA-Ag, PVA-GO-Ag and PVA-GO-Ag-Starch showed antimicrobial activity in ascending order. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Thiazole yellow G dyed PVA films for optoelectronics: microstructrural, thermal and photophysical studies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hebbar, Vidyashree; Bhajantri, R. F.; Naik, Jagadish; Rathod, Sunil G.

    2016-07-01

    In this paper, we report the microstructural, optical and fluorescence properties of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/Thiazole Yellow G (TY) dye composite prepared by solvent casting. The formation of change-transfer complex as a result of the interaction between the dye molecules and polymer chain is confirmed in FTIR, FT-Raman, XRD and DSC studies. SEM studies present the morphology of the samples. The UV-visible absorption spectra possess characteristic peaks of the TY dye corresponding to n-π* transition along with a characteristic peak of PVA. The composites exhibit the decreasing energy gap and increasing refractive index with an increase in wt.% of the TY dye. The fluorescence-quenching phenomena are observed in emission wavelength range of 391-406 nm upon excitation in the vicinity of absorption maxima (335 nm) with the quantum yield of 0.72 for lowest concentration of dye. The prepared composites bear high brightness, and improved thermal stability, which make them a promising material for sensors and optoelectronic applications.

  16. Starch hydrogels: The influence of the amylose content and gelatinization method.

    PubMed

    Biduski, Bárbara; Silva, Wyller Max Ferreria da; Colussi, Rosana; Halal, Shanise Lisie de Mello El; Lim, Loong-Tak; Dias, Álvaro Renato Guerra; Zavareze, Elessandra da Rosa

    2018-07-01

    Gelatinization and retrogradation, influenced by amylose and amylopectin ratio, are important characteristics for starch hydrogels elaboration. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of amylose content and the gelatinization method on the physicochemical characteristics of native and cross-linked rice starch hydrogels. The native and cross-linked starches were gelatinized with heating or alkaline solution, added polyvinyl alcohol, frozen and then freeze-dried. The cross-linked starch had a low final viscosity (101.38 RVU), which made the heat-induced gelatinized hydrogel readily disintegrated in water. However, modified starch hydrogels obtained by alkaline-induced gelatinization resulted in a more rigid structure than the native starch hydrogels. In addition, the starch sample with high amylose content had lower water absorption (322.2%) due to the greater stiffness of the hydrogel structure that resisted swelling. The alkaline-gelatinization resulted in stiffer hydrogels with lower water absorption (322.2 to 534.8%), while the heat-gelatinized behaved as a superabsorbent (658.7 to 1068.5%). The variability of the hydrogels properties of this study can enable a range of applications due to different amylose contents and gelatinization methods. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. High performance of poly(dopamine)-functionalized graphene oxide/poly(vinyl alcohol) nanocomposites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ma, Jiaojiao; Pan, Jingkai; Yue, Jia; Xu, Yu; Bao, Jianjun

    2018-01-01

    In this paper, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/poly(dopamine)-functionalized graphene oxide (PGO) nanocomposites with high performance were prepared by an environment-friendly and facile strategy. GO was firstly functionalized and simultaneously reduced by poly(dopamine) to yield PGO. Then it was mixed with PVA in aqueous solution to make PVA/PGO nanocomposites. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the PGO nanosheets are well dispersed and randomly oriented throughout the PVA matrix. At the same time, the thermal properties and water barrier properties of the PVA/PGO nanocomposites have been strikingly enhanced by the incorporation of PGO. The degradation temperature of the nanocomposites is more than 30 °C higher than that of pure PVA by the addition of 0.7 wt% PGO, which shows good thermal stability. The water vapor permeability of the nanocomposites also decreases to 0.71 × 10-12 g cm/(cm2 s Pa), corresponding to 80% reduction than that of pure PVA. Moreover, the PVA/PGO nanocomposites also present enhanced conductive properties. The PVA/PGO nanocomposites with such outstanding properties show great promising applications in the fields of packaging, electronics, fuel cell industry, fiber, and so on.

  18. Enhanced Degradation of Polyvinyl Alcohol by Pycnoporus cinnabarinus after Pretreatment with Fenton’s Reagent

    PubMed Central

    Larking, Daniel M.; Crawford, Russell J.; Christie, Gregor B. Y.; Lonergan, Greg T.

    1999-01-01

    Degradation of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was investigated by using a combination of chemical treatment with Fenton’s reagent and biological degradation with the white rot fungus Pycnoporus cinnabarinus. Inclusion of the chemical pretreatment resulted in greater degradation of PVA than the degradation observed when biological degradation alone was used. PMID:10103286

  19. 78 FR 39256 - Polyvinyl Alcohol From Taiwan: Rescission of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2012-2013

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-07-01

    ... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration [A-583-841] Polyvinyl Alcohol From...) is rescinding its administrative review of the antidumping duty order on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) from... CCPC to the Department, ``Polyvinyl Alcohol from Taiwan: Withdrawal of Administrative Review Request...

  20. Hydrogel films and coatings by swelling-induced gelation

    PubMed Central

    Moreau, David; Chauvet, Caroline; Etienne, François; Rannou, François P.

    2016-01-01

    Hydrogel films used as membranes or coatings are essential components of devices interfaced with biological systems. Their design is greatly challenged by the need to find mild synthesis and processing conditions that preserve their biocompatibility and the integrity of encapsulated compounds. Here, we report an approach to produce hydrogel films spontaneously in aqueous polymer solutions. This method uses the solvent depletion created at the surface of swelling polymer substrates to induce the gelation of a thin layer of polymer solution. Using a biocompatible polymer that self-assembles at high concentration [poly(vinyl alcohol)], hydrogel films were produced within minutes to hours with thicknesses ranging from tens to hundreds of micrometers. A simple model and numerical simulations of mass transport during swelling capture the experiments and predict how film growth depends on the solution composition, substrate geometry, and swelling properties. The versatility of the approach was verified with a variety of swelling substrates and hydrogel-forming solutions. We also demonstrate the potential of this technique by incorporating other solutes such as inorganic particles to fabricate ceramic-hydrogel coatings for bone anchoring and cells to fabricate cell-laden membranes for cell culture or tissue engineering. PMID:27821765

  1. Application of Hydrogel Template Strategy in Ocular Drug Delivery.

    PubMed

    Shin, Crystal S; Marcano, Daniela C; Park, Kinam; Acharya, Ghanashyam

    2017-01-01

    The hydrogel template strategy was previously developed to fabricate homogeneous polymeric microparticles. Here, we demonstrate the versatility of the hydrogel template strategy for the development of nanowafer-based ocular drug delivery systems. We describe the fabrication of dexamethasone-loaded nanowafers using polyvinyl alcohol and the instillation of a nanowafer on a mouse eye. The nanowafer, a small circular disk, is placed on the ocular surface, and it releases a drug as it slowly dissolves over time, thus increasing ocular bioavailability and enhancing efficiency to treat eye injuries.

  2. Grafting poly(vinyl alcohol) onto polybutadiene rubber latex particles by pre-irradiation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tian, Bo; Dong, Wei; Liu, Yuguang

    2017-06-01

    Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) was grafted on polybutadiene rubber latex (PBL) particles (PB-g-PVA) by pre-irradiation via emulsion grafting copolymerization. The grafting degree (G%) increased almost linearly with the reaction time and the weight ratio of PVA to the PB latex, while decreased gradually when the irradiation dose is over 30 kGy and the reaction temperature is higher than 60 °C. The grafting efficiency (GE%) has the same trend of the G% but the weight ratio of PVA to PBL, GE% decreased with increasing of PVA adding to PB latex. FTIR spectroscopy indicated that the PVA was grafted onto the PB particles. The dynamic light scattering measurement showed that the particle size of PB-g-PVA particles was larger than that of the pristine PBL particles, and it increased with increment of G%. Transmission electron microscopy images of the PB-g-PVA latex particles demonstrated that the size of PB-g-PVA particle was enlarged by the layer of grafted PVA surrounding the PBL particles. Thermal behavior exhibited the phase separation in the PB-g-PVA films, Tg1 and Tg2 related to the PB and PVA respectively, both of which shifted to a higher temperature with increasing of G%, but the Tg2 was still lower than that of the virgin PVA. The increment of the surface free energy of PB-g-PVA films was attributed to the incorporation of the polar PVA, which also resulted in improvement of the hydrophilic properties.

  3. Encapsulation and immobilization of papain in electrospun nanofibrous membranes of PVA cross-linked with glutaraldehyde vapor.

    PubMed

    Moreno-Cortez, Iván E; Romero-García, Jorge; González-González, Virgilio; García-Gutierrez, Domingo I; Garza-Navarro, Marco A; Cruz-Silva, Rodolfo

    2015-01-01

    In this paper, papain enzyme (E.C. 3.4.22.2, 1.6 U/mg) was successfully immobilized in poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) nanofibers prepared by electrospinning. The morphology of the electrospun nanofibers was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the diameter distribution was in the range of 80 to 170 nm. The presence of the enzyme within the PVA nanofibers was confirmed by infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXS) analyses. The maximum catalytic activity was reached when the enzyme loading was 13%. The immobilization of papain in the nanofiber membrane was achieved by chemical crosslinking with a glutaraldehyde vapor treatment (GAvt). The catalytic activity of the immobilized papain was 88% with respect to the free enzyme. The crosslinking time by GAvt to immobilize the enzyme onto the nanofiber mat was 24h, and the enzyme retained its catalytic activity after six cycles. The crosslinked samples maintained 40% of their initial activity after being stored for 14 days. PVA electrospun nanofibers are excellent matrices for the immobilization of enzymes due to their high surface area and their nanoporous structure. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  4. Optimization of Microencapsulation Composition of Menthol, Vanillin, and Benzyl Acetate inside Polyvinyl Alcohol with Coacervation Method for Application in Perfumery

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sahlan, Muhamad; Raihani Rahman, Mohammad

    2017-07-01

    One of many applications of essential oils is as fragrance in perfumery. Menthol, benzyl acetate, and vanillin, each represents olfactive characteristic of peppermint leaves, jasmine flowers, and vanilla beans, are commonly used in perfumery. These components are highly volatile, hence the fragrance components will quickly evaporate resulting in short-lasting scent and low shelf life. In this research, said components have been successfully encapsulated simultaneously inside Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) using simple coacervation method to increase its shelf life. Optimization has been done using Central Composite Diagram with 4 independent variables, i.e. composition of menthol, benzyl acetate, vanillin, and tergitol 15-S-9 (as emulsifier). Encapsulation efficiency, loading capacity, and microcapsule size have been measured. In optimized composition of menthol (13.98 %w/w), benzyl acetate (14.75 %w/w), vanillin (17.84 %w/w), and tergitol 15-S-9 (13.4 %w/w) encapsulation efficiency of 97,34% and loading capacity of 46,46% have been achieved. Mean diameter of microcapsule is 20,24 μm and within range of 2,011-36,24 μm. Final product was achieved in the form of cross linked polyvinyl alcohol with hydrogel consistency and orange to yellow in color.

  5. Preparation of poly(vinyl alcohol)/chitosan/starch blends and studies on thermal and surface properties

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nasalapure, Anand V.; Chalannavar, Raju K.; Malabadi, Ravindra B.

    2018-05-01

    Biopolymers are abundantly available from its natural sources of extraction. Chitosan(CH) is one of the widely used natural polymer which is perspective natural polysaccharide. Natural polymer blend with synthetic polymer enhances property of the material such as polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). PVA is nontoxic degradable synthetic polymer and very good film forming polymer. In this study prepared hybrid based film by adding starch into Chitosan/PVA which slighlty increased the surface and thermal property of ternary blend film.

  6. Synthesis and characterization of poly(vinyl alcohol) membranes with quaternary ammonium groups for wound dressing.

    PubMed

    Chen, Kuo-Yu; Lin, Yu-Sheng; Yao, Chun-Hsu; Li, Ming-Hsien; Lin, Jui-Che

    2010-01-01

    2-[(acryloyloxy)ethyl]Trimethylammonium chloride (AETMAC) was grafted onto poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) using ceric ammonium nitrate (CAN) as a redox initiator. A series of graft co-polymer (PVA-g-PAETMAC) membranes with different contents of AETMAC were prepared with a casting method. The incorporation of AETMAC into PVA chains was confirmed by element analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The effects of grafting on the thermal properties, water take, water vapor transmission rate (WVTR), contact angle, antibacterial activity and cytotoxicity of PVA-g-PAETMAC membranes were investigated. The experiment results showed that PVA-g-PAETMAC membrane has a higher equilibrium swelling ratio, surface hydrophilicity and WVTR than pure PVA membrane. Moreover, the higher the content of AETMAC, the higher were equilibrium swelling ratio, surface hydrophilicity and WVTR. In vitro bacterial adhesion study demonstrated a significantly reduced number of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli on PVA-g-PAETMAC surfaces when compared to PVA surface. In addition, no significant difference in the in vitro cytotoxicity was observed between PVA and PVA-g-PAETMAC membranes. The presence of quaternary ammonium groups did not reduce L929 cell growth. Therefore, the PVA-g-PAETMAC membranes have the potential for wound-dressing application.

  7. Current-voltage hysteresis and dielectric properties of PVA coated MWCNT film

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Das, Amit Kumar; Meikap, Ajit Kumar

    2017-12-01

    In this work, we have prepared polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) coated multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) film by an in situ chemical oxidative preparation technique. The thermogravimetric analysis clearly explains the thermal degradation of pure polymer and polymer nanocomposite film. We have studied the AC electrical transport properties and current-voltage (I-V) characteristic of PVA-MWCNT composites within the temperature range 300 ≤ T ≤ 423 K and frequency range 150 Hz ≤ f ≤ 2 MHz. It is observed that the dielectric constant of the composite film increases significantly. The frequency variation of AC conductivity follows the power law ( ωS ) and a sharp transition from small polaron tunneling to correlated barrier hopping model is found. The imaginary part of electric modulus shows non-Debye type asymmetric behaviour. The impedance spectroscopy shows the negative temperature coefficient of resistance of the composite film. Nyquist plot of the composite film at different temperatures is established from impedance measurement. The current-voltage characteristic (under ± 20 V) shows hysteresis behaviour and field dependent resistance. We simulate the experimentally observed current density-electric field data with the established theory.

  8. Current-voltage hysteresis and dielectric properties of PVA coated MWCNT film

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Das, Amit Kumar; Meikap, Ajit Kumar

    2018-06-01

    In this work, we have prepared polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) coated multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) film by an in situ chemical oxidative preparation technique. The thermogravimetric analysis clearly explains the thermal degradation of pure polymer and polymer nanocomposite film. We have studied the AC electrical transport properties and current-voltage (I-V) characteristic of PVA-MWCNT composites within the temperature range 300 ≤ T ≤ 423 K and frequency range 150 Hz ≤ f ≤ 2 MHz. It is observed that the dielectric constant of the composite film increases significantly. The frequency variation of AC conductivity follows the power law ( ωS ) and a sharp transition from small polaron tunneling to correlated barrier hopping model is found. The imaginary part of electric modulus shows non-Debye type asymmetric behaviour. The impedance spectroscopy shows the negative temperature coefficient of resistance of the composite film. Nyquist plot of the composite film at different temperatures is established from impedance measurement. The current-voltage characteristic (under ± 20 V) shows hysteresis behaviour and field dependent resistance. We simulate the experimentally observed current density-electric field data with the established theory.

  9. Clinical evaluation of the efficacy of fluoride adhesive tape (F-PVA) in reducing dentin hypersensitivity.

    PubMed

    Lee, Sang-Ho; Lee, Nan-Young; Lee, In-Hwa

    2013-06-01

    To evaluate the in vivo effectiveness of an experimental 2.26% fluoride polyvinyl alcohol (F-PVA) tape in reducing dentin hypersensitivity. 30 healthy men and women (total of 79 teeth) in their third decade of life with dentin hypersensitivity were enrolled in this study. The subjects were divided into four groups: three experimental groups were treated with fluoride agents (F-PVA tape, Vanish varnish, and ClinPro XT varnish), and a control group was treated with gelatin as a placebo. Each fluoride agent was applied according to the manufacturer's instructions. Stimulation was applied to the subjects' teeth using compressed air and ice sticks before applying the agent, as well as at 3 days and 4, 8, and 12 weeks after applying the agent. The degree of pain was measured using a visual analogue scale (VAS). The VAS scores were significantly (P < 0.05) decreased at 3 days and at 4, 8, and 12 weeks from baseline in both the air stream and ice stick tests. The reduction in the VAS scores for the three fluoride agents was decreased 8 weeks after their application. The F-PVA tape was found to be more effective for dentin hypersensitivity than the Vanish varnish and ClinPro XT varnish at 4 and 8 weeks of the examination period.

  10. Clinical Long-Term Outcome and Reinterventional Rate After Uterine Fibroid Embolization with Nonspherical Versus Spherical Polyvinyl Alcohol Particles

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Duvnjak, Stevo, E-mail: stevo.duvnjak@rsyd.dk; Ravn, Pernille; Green, Anders

    PurposeThis study was designed to evaluate the long-term clinical outcome and frequency of reinterventions in patients with uterine fibroids treated with embolization at a single center using polyvinyl alcohol microparticles.MethodsThe study included all patients with symptomatic uterine fibroids treated with uterine fibroid embolization (UFE) with spherical (s-PVA) and nonspherical (ns-PVA) polyvinyl alcohol microparticles during the period January 2001 to January 2011. Clinical success and secondary interventions were examined. Hospital records were reviewed during follow-up, and symptom-specific questionnaires were sent to all patients.ResultsIn total, 515 patients were treated with UFE and 350 patients (67 %) were available for long-term clinical follow-up. Medianmore » time of follow-up was 93 (range 76–120.2) months. Eighty-five patients (72 %) had no reinterventions during follow-up in the group embolized with ns-PVA compared with 134 patients (58 %) treated with s-PVA. Thirty-three patients (28 %) underwent secondary interventions in the ns-PVA group compared with 98 patients (42 %) in s-PVA group (χ{sup 2} test, p < 0.01).ConclusionsSpherical PVA particles 500–700 µm showed high reintervention rate at long-term follow-up, and almost one quarter of the patients underwent secondary interventions, suggesting that this type of particle is inappropriate for UFE.« less

  11. Fiber Optic Biosensors

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2006-12-01

    CDM Camp Dresser & McKee Inc. CSU Colorado State University DCA dichloroethane DO dissolved oxygen DoD Department of Defense EA EA...Ph.D. (PI), Camp Dresser & McKee Inc. (CDM); John Eisenbeis, Ph.D., CDM; Kristy Warren, CDM; Dan Adams, CDM; Michael Allen, Bangor Naval Submarine Base...alcohol (PVA) using cyanuric chloride, and the resulting product was cross -linked with glutaraldehyde in presence of HCl to form a hydrogel that was

  12. Properties and Applications of Polyvinyl Alcohol, Halloysite Nanotubes and Their Nanocomposites.

    PubMed

    Gaaz, Tayser Sumer; Sulong, Abu Bakar; Akhtar, Majid Niaz; Kadhum, Abdul Amir H; Mohamad, Abu Bakar; Al-Amiery, Ahmed A

    2015-12-19

    The aim of this review was to analyze/investigate the synthesis, properties, and applications of polyvinyl alcohol-halloysite nanotubes (PVA-HNT), and their nanocomposites. Different polymers with versatile properties are attractive because of their introduction and potential uses in many fields. Synthetic polymers, such as PVA, natural polymers like alginate, starch, chitosan, or any material with these components have prominent status as important and degradable materials with biocompatibility properties. These materials have been developed in the 1980s and are remarkable because of their recyclability and consideration of the natural continuation of their physical and chemical properties. The fabrication of PVA-HNT nanocomposites can be a potential way to address some of PVA's limitations. Such nanocomposites have excellent mechanical properties and thermal stability. PVA-HNT nanocomposites have been reported earlier, but without proper HNT individualization and PVA modifications. The properties of PVA-HNT for medicinal and biomedical use are attracting an increasing amount of attention for medical applications, such as wound dressings, drug delivery, targeted-tissue transportation systems, and soft biomaterial implants. The demand for alternative polymeric medical devices has also increased substantially around the world. This paper reviews individualized HNT addition along with crosslinking of PVA for various biomedical applications that have been previously reported in literature, thereby showing the attainability, modification of characteristics, and goals underlying the blending process with PVA.

  13. Effect of Poly(Vinyl Alcohol) Addition on the Properties of Hydrothermal Derived Calcium Phosphate Cement for Bone Filling Materials

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Razali, N. N.; Sopyan, I.; Mel, M.; Salleh, H. M.; Rahman, M. M.; Singh, R.

    2017-06-01

    The effect of addition of poly(vinyl alcohol) on hydrothermal derived calcium phosphate cement has been studied. The precursors used to prepare the cement were calcium oxide (CaO) and ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (NH4H2PO4); the reaction was conducted in water at 80-100°C. To improve properties of CPC, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) of 1wt% and 2wt% was added to the liquid phase of CPC and the results were compared to CPC without PVA addition. The addition of PVA was proved to bring remarkable effects on cohesion, setting time and mechanical strength of CPC which make it suitable physically for injectable bone filler applications.

  14. Amperometric catechol biosensor based on laccase immobilized on nitrogen-doped ordered mesoporous carbon (N-OMC)/PVA matrix

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guo, Meiqing; Wang, Hefeng; Huang, Di; Han, Zhijun; Li, Qiang; Wang, Xiaojun; Chen, Jing

    2014-06-01

    A functionalized nitrogen-containing ordered mesoporous carbon (N-OMC), which shows good electrical properties, was synthesized by the carbonization of polyaniline inside a SBA-15 mesoporous silica template. Based on this, through entrapping laccase onto the N-OMC/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) film a facilely fabricated amperometric biosensor was developed. Laccase from Trametes versicolor was assembled on a composite film of a N-OMC/PVA modified Au electrode and the electrochemical behavior was investigated. The results indicated that the N-OMC modified electrode exhibits electrical properties towards catechol. The optimum experimental conditions of a biosensor for the detection of catechol were studied in detail. Under the optimal conditions, the sensitivity of the biosensor was 0.29 A*M-1 with a detection limit of 0.31 μM and a linear detection range from 0.39 μM to 8.98 μM for catechol. The calibration curve followed the Michaelis-Menten kinetics and the apparent Michaelis-Menten \\left( K_{M}^{app} \\right) was 6.28 μM. This work demonstrated that the N-OMC/PVA composite provides a suitable support for laccase immobilization and the construction of a biosensor.

  15. Performance and diversity of polyvinyl alcohol-degrading bacteria under aerobic and anaerobic conditions.

    PubMed

    Huang, Jianping; Yang, Shisu; Zhang, Siqi

    2016-11-01

    To compare the degradation performance and biodiversity of a polyvinyl alcohol-degrading microbial community under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. An anaerobic-aerobic bioreactor was operated to degrade polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) in simulated wastewater. The degradation performance of the bioreactor during sludge cultivation and the microbial communities in each reactor were compared. Both anaerobic and aerobic bioreactors demonstrated high chemical oxygen demand removal efficiencies of 87.5 and 83.6 %, respectively. Results of 16S rDNA sequencing indicated that Proteobacteria dominated in both reactors and that the microbial community structures varied significantly under different operating conditions. Both reactors obviously differed in bacterial diversity from the phyla Planctomycetes, Chlamydiae, Bacteroidetes, and Chloroflexi. Betaproteobacteria and Alphaproteobacteria dominated, respectively, in the anaerobic and aerobic reactors. The anaerobic-aerobic system is suitable for PVA wastewater treatment, and the microbial genetic analysis may serve as a reference for PVA biodegradation.

  16. Preparation and characterization of poly(vinyl alcohol)/graphene nanofibers synthesized by electrospinning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barzegar, Farshad; Bello, Abdulhakeem; Fabiane, Mopeli; Khamlich, Saleh; Momodu, Damilola; Taghizadeh, Fatemeh; Dangbegnon, Julien; Manyala, Ncholu

    2015-02-01

    We report on the synthesis and characterization of electrospun polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/graphene nanofibers. The samples produced were characterized by Raman spectroscopy for structural and defect density analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for morphological analysis, and thermogravimetric (TGA) for thermal analysis. SEM measurements show uniform hollow PVA fibers formation and excellent graphene dispersion within the fibers, while TGA measurements show the improved thermal stability of PVA in the presence of graphene. The synthesized polymer reinforced nanofibers have potential to serve in many different applications such as thermal management, supercapacitor electrodes and biomedical materials for drug delivery.

  17. Cross-linked polyvinyl alcohol films as alkaline battery separators

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sheibley, D. W.; Manzo, M. A.; Gonzalez-Sanabria, O. D.

    1983-01-01

    Cross-linking methods have been investigated to determine their effect on the performance of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) films as alkaline battery separators. The following types of cross-linked PVA films are discussed: (1) PVA-dialdehyde blends post-treated with an acid or acid periodate solution (two-step method) and (2) PVA-dialdehyde blends cross-linked during film formation (drying) by using a reagent with both aldehyde and acid functionality (one-step method). Laboratory samples of each cross-linked type of film were prepared and evaluated in standard separator screening tests. Then pilot-plant batches of films were prepared and compared to measure differences due to the cross-linking method. The pilot-plant materials were then tested in nickel oxide-zinc cells to compare the two methods with respect to performance characteristics and cycle life. Cell test results are compared with those from tests with Celgard.

  18. Cross-linked polyvinyl alcohol films as alkaline battery separators

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sheibley, D. W.; Manzo, M. A.; Gonzalez-Sanabria, O. D.

    1982-01-01

    Cross-linking methods were investigated to determine their effect on the performance of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) films as alkaline battery separators. The following types of cross-linked PVA films are discussed: (1) PVA-dialdehyde blends post-treated with an acid or acid periodate solution (two-step method) and (2) PVA-dialdehyde blends cross-linked during film formation (drying) by using a reagent with both aldehyde and acid functionality (one-step method). Laboratory samples of each cross-linked type of film were prepared and evaluated in standard separator screening tests. The pilot-plant batches of films were prepared and compared to measure differences due to the cross-linking method. The pilot-plant materials were then tested in nickel oxide - zinc cells to compare the two methods with respect to performance characteristics and cycle life. Cell test results are compared with those from tests with Celgard.

  19. Monitoring of temperature fatigue failure mechanism for polyvinyl alcohol fiber concrete using acoustic emission sensors.

    PubMed

    Li, Dongsheng; Cao, Hai

    2012-01-01

    The applicability of acoustic emission (AE) techniques to monitor the mechanism of evolution of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fiber concrete damage under temperature fatigue loading is investigated. Using the temperature fatigue test, real-time AE monitoring data of PVA fiber concrete is achieved. Based on the AE signal characteristics of the whole test process and comparison of AE signals of PVA fiber concretes with different fiber contents, the damage evolution process of PVA fiber concrete is analyzed. Finally, a qualitative evaluation of the damage degree is obtained using the kurtosis index and b-value of AE characteristic parameters. The results obtained using both methods are discussed.

  20. Monitoring of Temperature Fatigue Failure Mechanism for Polyvinyl Alcohol Fiber Concrete Using Acoustic Emission Sensors

    PubMed Central

    Li, Dongsheng; Cao, Hai

    2012-01-01

    The applicability of acoustic emission (AE) techniques to monitor the mechanism of evolution of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fiber concrete damage under temperature fatigue loading is investigated. Using the temperature fatigue test, real-time AE monitoring data of PVA fiber concrete is achieved. Based on the AE signal characteristics of the whole test process and comparison of AE signals of PVA fiber concretes with different fiber contents, the damage evolution process of PVA fiber concrete is analyzed. Finally, a qualitative evaluation of the damage degree is obtained using the kurtosis index and b-value of AE characteristic parameters. The results obtained using both methods are discussed. PMID:23012555

  1. Cellulose fibers extracted from rice and oat husks and their application in hydrogel.

    PubMed

    Oliveira, Jean Paulo de; Bruni, Graziella Pinheiro; Lima, Karina Oliveira; Halal, Shanise Lisie Mello El; Rosa, Gabriela Silveira da; Dias, Alvaro Renato Guerra; Zavareze, Elessandra da Rosa

    2017-04-15

    The commercial cellulose fibers and cellulose fibers extracted from rice and oat husks were analyzed by chemical composition, morphology, functional groups, crystallinity and thermal properties. The cellulose fibers from rice and oat husks were used to produce hydrogels with poly (vinyl alcohol). The fibers presented different structural, crystallinity, and thermal properties, depending on the cellulose source. The hydrogel from rice cellulose fibers had a network structure with a similar agglomeration sponge, with more homogeneous pores compared to the hydrogel from oat cellulose fibers. The hydrogels prepared from the cellulose extracted from rice and oat husks showed water absorption capacity of 141.6-392.1% and high opacity. The highest water absorption capacity and maximum stress the compression were presented by rice cellulose hydrogel at 25°C. These results show that the use of agro-industrial residues is promising for the biomaterial field, especially in the preparation of hydrogels. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. MICROWAVE-ASSISTED SYNTHESIS OF CROSSLINKED POLY(VINYL ALCOHOL) NANOCOMPOSITES COMPRISING SINGLE-WALLED CARBON NANOTUBES, MULTI-WALLED CARBON NANOTUBES AND BUCKMINSTERFULLERENE

    EPA Science Inventory

    We report a facile method to accomplish cross-linking reaction of poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) with single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNT), multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWNT), and Buckminsterfullerene (C-60) using microwave (MW) irradiation. Nanocomposites of PVA cross-linked with SW...

  3. Poly(vinyl alcohol) cryogel phantoms for use in ultrasound and MR imaging

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Surry, K. J. M.; Austin, H. J. B.; Fenster, A.; Peters, T. M.

    2004-12-01

    Poly(vinyl alcohol) cryogel, PVA-C, is presented as a tissue-mimicking material, suitable for application in magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and ultrasound imaging. A 10% by weight poly(vinyl alcohol) in water solution was used to form PVA-C, which is solidified through a freeze-thaw process. The number of freeze-thaw cycles affects the properties of the material. The ultrasound and MR imaging characteristics were investigated using cylindrical samples of PVA-C. The speed of sound was found to range from 1520 to 1540 m s-1, and the attenuation coefficients were in the range of 0.075-0.28 dB (cm MHz)-1. T1 and T2 relaxation values were found to be 718-1034 ms and 108-175 ms, respectively. We also present applications of this material in an anthropomorphic brain phantom, a multi-volume stenosed vessel phantom and breast biopsy phantoms. Some suggestions are made for how best to handle this material in the phantom design and development process.

  4. Fabrication and application of coaxial polyvinyl alcohol/chitosan nanofiber membranes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kuo, Ting-Yun; Jhang, Cuei-Fang; Lin, Che-Min; Hsien, Tzu-Yang; Hsieh, Hsyue-Jen

    2017-12-01

    It is difficult to fabricate chitosan-wrapped coaxial nanofibers, because highly viscous chitosan solutions might hinder the manufacturing process. To overcome this difficulty, our newly developed method, which included the addition of a small amount of gum arabic, was utilized to prepare much less viscous chitosan solutions. In this way, coaxial polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/chitosan (as core/shell) nanofiber membranes were fabricated successfully by coaxial electrospinning. The core/shell structures were confirmed by TEM, and the existence of PVA and chitosan was also verified using FT-IR and TGA. The tensile strength of the nanofiber membranes was increased from 0.6-0.7 MPa to 0.8-0.9 MPa after being crosslinked with glutaraldehyde. The application potential of the PVA/chitosan nanofiber membranes was tested in drug release experiments by loading the core (PVA) with theophylline as a model drug. The use of the coaxial PVA/chitosan nanofiber membranes in drug release extended the release time of theophylline from 5 minutes to 24 hours. Further, the release mechanisms could be described by the Korsmeyer-Peppas model. In summary, by combining the advantages of PVA and chitosan (good mechanical strength and good biocompatibility respectively), the coaxial PVA/chitosan nanofiber membranes are potential biomaterials for various biomedical applications.

  5. A new polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel vascular model (KEZLEX) for microvascular anastomosis training

    PubMed Central

    Mutoh, Tatsushi; Ishikawa, Tatsuya; Ono, Hidenori; Yasui, Nobuyuki

    2010-01-01

    Background: Microvascular anastomosis is a challenging neurosurgical technique that requires extensive training for one to master it. We developed a new vascular model (KEZLEX, Ono and Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan) as a non-animal, realistic tool for practicing microvascular anastomosis under realistic circumstances. Methods: The model was manufactured from polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel to provide 1.0–3.0 mm diameter (available for 0.5-mm pitch), 6–8 cm long tubes that have qualitatively similar surface characteristics, visibility, and stiffness to human donor and recipient arteries for various bypass surgeries based on three-dimensional computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging scanning data reconstruction using visible human data set and vessel casts. Results: Trainees can acquire basic microsuturing techniques for end-to-end, end-to-side, and side-to-side anastomoses with handling similar to that for real arteries. To practice standard deep bypass techniques under realistic circumstances, the substitute vessel can be fixed to specific locations of a commercially available brain model with pins. Conclusion: Our vascular prosthesis model is simple and easy to set up for repeated practice, and will contribute to facilitate “off-the-job” training by trainees. PMID:21170365

  6. PVA bio-nanocomposites: a new take-off using cellulose nanocrystals and PLGA nanoparticles.

    PubMed

    Rescignano, N; Fortunati, E; Montesano, S; Emiliani, C; Kenny, J M; Martino, S; Armentano, I

    2014-01-01

    The formation of a new generation of hybrid bio-nanocomposites is reported: these are intended at modulating the mechanical, thermal and biocompatibility properties of the poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) by the combination of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) and poly (D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles (NPs) loaded with bovine serum albumin fluorescein isothiocynate conjugate (FITC-BSA). CNC were synthesized from microcrystalline cellulose by hydrolysis, while PLGA nanoparticles were produced by a double emulsion with subsequent solvent evaporation. Firstly, binary bio-nanocomposites with different CNC amounts were developed in order to select the right content of CNC. Next, ternary PVA/CNC/NPs bio-nanocomposites were developed. The addition of CNC increased the elongation properties without compromising the other mechanical responses. Thermal analysis underlined the nucleation effect of the synergic presence of cellulose and nanoparticles. Remarkably, bio-nanocomposite films are suitable to vehiculate biopolymeric nanoparticles to adult bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells successfully, thus representing a new tool for drug delivery strategies. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Effects of Saponification Rate on Electrooptical Properties and Morphology of Poly(vinyl alcohol)/Liquid Crystal Composite Films

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ono, Hiroshi; Kawatsuki, Nobuhiro

    1995-03-01

    The relationship between the saponification rate of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), and the electrooptical properties and morphology of the PVA/liquid crystal (LC) composite films was investigated. Light transmission clazing and the LC droplet size were varied by changing the saponification rate or the blend ratio of two kinds of PVA with different saponification rates because the refractive index and surface tension could be controlled by the saponification rate of PVA. The threshold voltage decreased with increasing saponification rate though the extrapolation length was decreased. It was suggested that the electrooptical properties were strongly dependent on the droplet size.

  8. Electrospun polyvinyl alcohol ultra-thin layer chromatography of amino acids.

    PubMed

    Lu, Tian; Olesik, Susan V

    2013-01-01

    Electrospun polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) ultrathin layer chromatographic (UTLC) plates were fabricated using in situ crosslinking electrospinning technique. The value of these ULTC plates were characterized using the separation of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) labeled amino acids and the separation of amino acids followed visualization using ninhydrin. The in situ crosslinked electrospun PVA plates showed enhanced stability in water and were stable when used for the UTLC study. The selectivity of FITC labeled amino acids on PVA plate was compared with that on commercial Si-Gel plate. The efficiency of the separation varied with analyte concentration, size of capillary analyte applicator, analyte volume, and mat thickness. The concentration of 7mM or less, 50μm i.d. capillary applicator, minimum volume of analyte solution and three-layered mat provides the best efficiency of FITC-labeled amino acids on PVA UTLC plate. The efficiency on PVA plate was greatly improved compared to the efficiency on Si-Gel HPTLC plate. The hydrolysis products of aspartame in diet coke, aspartic acid and phenylalanine, were also successfully analyzed using PVA-UTLC plate. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. A scalable ultrasonic-assisted and foaming combination method preparation polyvinyl alcohol/phytic acid polymer sponge with thermal stability and conductive capability.

    PubMed

    Li, Yongshen; Song, Yunna; Li, Jihui; Li, Yuehai; Li, Ning; Niu, Shuai

    2018-04-01

    In this article, polyvinyl alcohol/phytic acid polymer (PVA/PA polymer) is synthesized from PVA and PA via the esterification reaction of PVA and PA in the case of acidity and ultrasound irradiation, and PVA/PA polymer sponge is prepared via foaming PVA/PA polymer in the presence of n-pentane and ammonium bicarbonate, and the structure of PVA/PA polymer and the structure, morphology and crystallinity of PVA/PA polymer sponge are characterized, and the thermal stability and surface resistivity of PVA/PA polymer sponge are investigated. Based on these, it has been attested that PVA/PA polymer synthesized under the acidity and ultrasound irradiation and PVA/PA polymer sponge are structured by the chain of PVA and the cricoid PA connected in the form of ether bonds and phosphonate bonds, and the thermal stability of PVA/PA polymer sponge attains 416.5 °C, and the surface resistivity of PVA/PA polymer sponge reaches 5.76 × 10 4  ohms/sq. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. A simple method for the sonochemical synthesis of PVA/ZrO2-vitamin B1 nanocomposites: Morphology, mechanical, thermal and wettability investigations.

    PubMed

    Mallakpour, Shadpour; Shafiee, Elaheh

    2018-01-01

    Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) based nanocomposites (NCs) filled by various weight percent of modified ZrO 2 nanoparticles (NPs) with vitamin B 1 (VB 1 ) up to 7wt% were fabricated via ultrasonication method then was cast to thin films. The ultrasonication was applied for the preparation and modification process asan easy, safe and fast method. Ultrasonic was responsible for great homogeneities of NPs into PVA matrix, which could not be achieved by mechanical or magnetically stirring. The creation of polymer NCs and changes in the structural properties were examined by X-ray diffraction. FT-IR spectroscopy indicated the possible interactions of the ZrO 2 -VB 1 NPs with the PVA backbones and also, existence of absorption bands related to PVA and ZrO 2 NPs in the NC structures. The distribution of nano-fillers and uniform morphology of the NCs showed that the ZrO 2 -VB 1 NPs were homogeneously dispersed in the polymer matrix in the nanosized scale. UV-Vis analysis shown that the the optical absorption were improved by evolution of ZrO 2 -VB 1 NPs content. The tensile strength of PVA film was increased significantly with increasing the ZrO 2 -VB 1 NPs content. Thermal gravimetric analysis confirmed that NCs displayed higher thermal stability than the pristine PVA. Also, water contact angle analysis indicated that the hydrophilicity of NC films was enhanced with increasing the concentration of ZrO 2 NPs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Fabrication of multicolor fluorescent polyvinyl alcohol through surface modification with conjugated polymers by oxidative polymerization

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hai, Thien An Phung; Sugimoto, Ryuichi

    2018-06-01

    A simple method for the preparation of multicolor polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) by chemical oxidative polymerization is introduced. The PVA surface was successfully modified with conjugated polymers composed of 3-hexylthiophene (3HT) and fluorene (F). The incorporation of the 3HT/F copolymer onto the PVA surface was confirmed by Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR), ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis), and fluorescence spectroscopies, X-ray diffraction (XRD), as well as thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), contact angle, and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) coupled with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis. Different 3HT/F ratios on the PVA surface result in optical properties that include multicolor-emission and absorption behavior. The color of the resultant (3HT/F)-g-PVA shifted from red to blue, and the quantum yield increased with increasing F content. The surface hydrophobicity of the modified PVA increased significantly through grafting with the conjugated polymers, with the water contact angle increasing by 30° compared to pristine PVA. The PVA XRD peaks were less intense following surface modification. Thermogravimetric analyses reveal that the thermal stability of the PVA decreases as a result of grafting with the 3HT/F copolymers.

  12. Characterization of proton conducting blend polymer electrolyte using PVA-PAN doped with NH{sub 4}SCN

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Premalatha, M.; Materials Research Center, Coimbatore-641 045; Mathavan, T., E-mail: tjmathavan@gmail.com, E-mail: kingslin.genova20@gmail.com

    2016-05-23

    Polymer electrolytes with proton conductivity based on blend polymer using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and poly acrylo nitrile (PAN) doped with ammonium thiocyanate have been prepared by solution casting method using DMF as solvent. The complex formation between the blend polymer and the salt has been confirmed by FTIR Spectroscopy. The amorphous nature of the blend polymer electrolytes have been confirmed by XRD analysis. The highest conductivity at 303 K has been found to be 3.25 × 10{sup −3} S cm{sup −1} for 20 mol % NH{sub 4}SCN doped 92.5PVA:7.5PAN system. The increase in conductivity of the doped blend polymer electrolytes with increasingmore » temperature suggests the Arrhenius type thermally activated process. The activation energy is found to be low (0.066 eV) for the highest conductivity sample.« less

  13. Fabrication of reduced graphene oxide nanosheets doped PVA composite films for tailoring their opto-mechanical properties

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aslam, Muhammad; Kalyar, Mazhar Ali; Raza, Zulfiqar Ali

    2017-06-01

    Laminar graphene nanosheets have raised passionate attention due to their incredible physico-chemical properties. Its wide-scale, high-yield production at low-cost has made it possible to produce top class promising versatile polymer nanocomposites. Reduced graphene oxide (RGO) nanosheets were incorporated to prepare optically tunable and high mechanical strength polymer nanocomposite films. RGO-doped poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) nanocomposite films were prepared via solution casting. Low level RGO doping significantly altered the structural, optical and mechanical properties of pure PVA films. Most of the band structure parameters like direct/indirect band gap, band tail, refractive index, dielectric constant, optical conductivity and dispersion parameters were investigated in detail for the first time. Tauc's, Wemple-DiDomenico, Helpin-Tsai and mixture rule models were employed to investigate optical and mechanical parameters. The applied models reinforced the experimental results in the present study. Advanced analytical techniques were engaged to characterize the nanocomposites films.

  14. Synthesis of fast response crosslinked PVA-g-NIPAAm nanohydrogels by very low radiation dose in dilute aqueous solution

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fathi, Marziyeh; Reza Farajollahi, Ali; Akbar Entezami, Ali

    2013-05-01

    Nanohydrogels of poly(vinyl alcohol)-g-N-isopropylacrylamide (PVA-g-NIPAAm) are synthesized by PVA and NIPAAm dilute aqueous solution using much less radiation dose of 1-20 Gy via intramolecular crosslinking at ambient temperature. The radiation synthesis of nanohydrogels is performed in the presence of tetrakis (hydroxymethyl) phosphonium chloride (THPC) due to its rapid oxygen scavenging abilities and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as a source of hydroxyl radicals. The effect of radiation dose, feed composition ratio of PVA and H2O2 is investigated on swelling properties such as temperature and pH dependence of equilibrium swelling ratio as well as deswelling kinetics. Experimental data exhibit high equilibrium swelling ratio and fast response time for the synthesized nanohydrogels. The average molecular weight between crosslinks (Mc) and crosslinking density (ρx) of the obtained nanohydrogels are calculated from swelling data as a function of radiation dose, H2O2 and PVA amount. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), elemental analysis of nitrogen content and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) are used to confirm the grafting reaction. Lower critical solution temperature (LCST) is measured around 33 °C by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) for PVA-g-NIPAAm nanohydrogels. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) data demonstrate that the increase of radiation dose leads to the decreasing in dimension of nanohydrogels. Also, rheological studies are confirmed an improvement in the mechanical properties of the nanohydrogels with increasing the radiation dose. A cytotoxicity study exhibits a good biocompatibility for the obtained nanohydrogels. The prepared nanohydrogels show fast swelling/deswelling behavior, high swelling ratio, dual sensitivity and good cytocompatibility, which may find potential applications as biomaterial.

  15. Analysis of the response of PVA-GTA Fricke-gel dosimeters with clinical magnetic resonance imaging

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Collura, Giorgio; Gallo, Salvatore; Tranchina, Luigi; Abbate, Boris Federico; Bartolotta, Antonio; d'Errico, Francesco; Marrale, Maurizio

    2018-01-01

    Fricke gel dosimeters produced with a matrix of Poly-vinyl alcohol (PVA) cross-linked with glutaraldehyde (GTA) were analyzed with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Previous studies based on spectrophotometry showed valuable dosimetric features of these gels in terms of X-ray sensitivity and diffusion of the ferric ions produced after irradiation. In this study, MRI was performed on the gels at 1.5 T with a clinical scanner in order to optimize the acquisition parameters and obtain high contrast between irradiated and non-irradiated samples. The PVA gels were found to offer good linearity in the range of 0-10 Gy and a stable signal for several hours after irradiation. The sensitivity was about 40% higher compared to gels produced with agarose as gelling agent. The effect of xylenol orange (XO) on the MRI signal was also investigated: gel dosimeters made without XO show higher sensitivity to x-rays than those made with XO. The dosimetric accuracy of the 3D gels was investigated by comparing their MRI response to percentage depth dose and transversal dose profile measurements made with an ionization chamber in a water phantom. The comparison of PVA-GTA gels with and without XO showed that the chelating agent reduces the MRI sensitivity of the gels. Depth-dose and transversal dose profiles acquired by PVA-GTA gels without XO are more accurate and consistent with the ionization chamber data. However, diffusion effects hinder accurate measurements in the steep dose gradient regions and they should be further reduced by modifying the gel matrix and/or by minimizing the delay between irradiation and imaging.

  16. Application of graphene oxide-poly (vinyl alcohol) polymer nanocomposite for memory devices

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kaushal, Jyoti; Kaur, Ravneet; Sharma, Jadab; Tripathi, S. K.

    2018-05-01

    Significant attention has been gained by polymer nanocomposites because of their possible demands in future electronic memory devices. In the present work, device based on Graphene Oxide (GO) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) has been made and examined for the memory device application. The prepared Graphene oxide (GO) and GO-PVA nanocomposite (NC) has been characterized by X-ray Diffraction (XRD). GO nanosheets show the diffraction peak at 2θ = 11.60° and the interlayer spacing of 0.761 nm. The XRD of GO-PVA NC shows the diffraction peak at 2θ =18.56°. The fabricated device shows bipolar switching behavior having ON/OFF current ratio ˜102. The Write-Read-Erase-Read (WRER) cycles test shows that the Al/GO-PVA/Ag device has good stability and repeatability.

  17. Preparation, characterization, and application of poly(vinyl alcohol)-graft-poly(ethylene glycol) resins: novel polymer matrices for solid-phase synthesis.

    PubMed

    Luo, Juntao; Pardin, Christophe; Zhu, X X; Lubell, William D

    2007-01-01

    Spherical crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) beads with good mechanical stability were prepared by reverse-suspension polymerization, using dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as a cosolvent in an aqueous phase. Poly(ethylene glycol)s with varying chain lengths were grafted onto the PVA beads by anionic polymerization of ethylene oxide. The thermal behavior, morphology, and swelling were evaluated for each of the new polymer matrices. High loading and good swelling in water and organic solvents were characteristic of the PEG-grafted PVA beads. The polymer beads also exhibited good mechanical and chemical stability and were unaffected by treatment with 6 N HCl and with 6 N NaOH. The hydroxyl groups of the PVA-PEG beads were converted into aldehyde, carboxylic acid, and isocyanate functions to provide scavenger resins and were extended by way of a benzyl alcohol in a Wang linker. The transglutaminase substrates dipeptides (Z-Gln-Gly) and heptapeptides (Pro-Asn-Pro-Gln-Leu-Pro-Phe) were synthesized on PVA-PEG_5, PVA-PEG_20, and the Wang linker-derivatized PVA-PEG resins. The cleavage of the peptides from the resins using MeOH/NH3 mixture at different temperatures (0 degrees C and room temp) and 50% TFA/DCM provided, respectively, peptide methyl esters, amides, and acids in good yields and purity as assessed by LC-MS analysis.

  18. Structural insights into enzymatic degradation of oxidized polyvinyl alcohol.

    PubMed

    Yang, Yu; Ko, Tzu-Ping; Liu, Long; Li, Jianghua; Huang, Chun-Hsiang; Chan, Hsiu-Chien; Ren, Feifei; Jia, Dongxu; Wang, Andrew H-J; Guo, Rey-Ting; Chen, Jian; Du, Guocheng

    2014-09-05

    The ever-increasing production and use of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) threaten our environment. Yet PVA can be assimilated by microbes in two steps: oxidation and cleavage. Here we report novel α/β-hydrolase structures of oxidized PVA hydrolase (OPH) from two known PVA-degrading organisms, Sphingopyxis sp. 113P3 and Pseudomonas sp. VM15C, including complexes with substrate analogues, acetylacetone and caprylate. The active site is covered by a lid-like β-ribbon. Unlike other esterase and amidase, OPH is unique in cleaving the CC bond of β-diketone, although it has a catalytic triad similar to that of most α/β-hydrolases. Analysis of the crystal structures suggests a double-oxyanion-hole mechanism, previously only found in thiolase cleaving β-ketoacyl-CoA. Three mutations in the lid region showed enhanced activity, with potential in industrial applications. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  19. Chemically Crosslinked Hydrogel Film Leads to Integrated Flexible Supercapacitors with Superior Performance.

    PubMed

    Wang, Kai; Zhang, Xiong; Li, Chen; Sun, Xianzhong; Meng, Qinghai; Ma, Yanwei; Wei, Zhixiang

    2015-12-02

    A high-strength poly(vinyl alcohol) chemical hydrogel (PCH) film is prepared by coupling covalent crosslinking with a film-casting process. Conducting polyaniline (PANI) is then embedded in the PCH film by in situ growth to form a composite film with a PANI-hydrogel-PANI configuration, which leads to a new conceptual flexible supercapacitor with all-in-one configuration that exhibits superior electrochemical performance and mechanical flexibility. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  20. Water resistance and thermal properties of polyvinyl alcohol-starch fiber blend film

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Salleh, M. S. N.; Nor, N. N. Mohamed; Mohd, N.; Draman, S. F. Syed

    2017-02-01

    The growing attention of starch fiber (SF) has led to the innovation of Polyvinyl Alcohol-SF (PVA-SF) blends. This blend is regarded as the biodegradable material which aims to reduce the accumulation of synthetic polymer solid waste derived from petroleum. In this study, the thermal blending characterizations of PVA-SF were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The water resistance of the blend was also evaluated to study the polarity of the blends. The blend was prepared by plasticizing the polyvinyl alcohol with glycerol and distilled water with the addition of starch fiber. The incorporation of SF to the blends was at 10 wt% to 50 wt% composition. Based on the thermal analysis, PVA-SF blends were suitable for processing at high temperatures, which can be seen by the shifted onset degradation temperature to a higher temperature. This is because cyclic hemiacetals which were provided by SF can act to prevent the thermal attacks. Conversely, increasing the starch fiber proportion to the film blend reduce the endothermic peak amplitude in the DSC thermogram. It was found that PVA-SF blend at the higher composition of SF had the highest water resistance. This may be attributed to the content of fibre in SF which is hydrophilic.

  1. Safety and effectiveness of a polyvinyl alcohol barrier in reducing risks of vascular tissue damage during anterior spinal revision surgery.

    PubMed

    Jeffords, Paul; Li, Jinsheng; Panchal, Deepal; Denoziere, Guilhem; Fetterolf, Donald

    2012-05-01

    This study was conducted as a controlled, prospective investigation to show the safety and efficacy of a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) device in a sheep model. To evaluate the ability of a permanent PVA hydrogel barrier to reduce the risk of potential vessel damage during anterior vertebral revision surgery, to provide a nonadhesive barrier at the surgical site, and to create a surgical revision plane of dissection. The development of scar tissue and adhesions presents a significant postoperative problem in spine surgery, where adhesion involvement of overlying structures can cause pain, neurovascular complications, and present a difficult surgical environment during revisions. The devices were implanted onto the ventral surface of exposed lumbar intervertebral discs using an anterolateral approach. One disc separated from the study site was also exposed to serve as a control. Three sheep each were then evaluated with an explant procedure at 30 and 90 days. Extensive sampling was undertaken to evaluate gross anatomic, micropathologic, and biochemical environments and properties of the device. The structural properties and appearance of the device remained intact at both 30 and 90 days. The material remained flexible, hydrophilic, and soft, without visible resorption or decomposition. The material was well tolerated by the animal, with minimal histologic signs of inflammation or rejection. Tissue planes were easily able to be localized by the surgeon attempting to locate the prior surgical site at the time of resection. The PVA vessel shield effectively protected the structures overlying the sheep spine during revision, providing a clear dissection plane for resection at repeat surgery. The overlying structures separated from the previous surgical site with no adhesion, and allowed safe separation of adjacent tissues without the use of sharp dissection.

  2. Effect of γ irradiation on poly(vinyl alcohol) and bacterial cellulose composites used as packaging materials

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stoica-Guzun, Anicuta; Stroescu, Marta; Jipa, Iuliana; Dobre, Loredana; Zaharescu, Traian

    2013-03-01

    The aim of this paper is to present the influence of bacterial cellulose microfibrils and γ-radiation dose on poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)-bacterial cellulose (BC) composites. Two composite materials were obtained: the first one from PVA aqueous solution 4% and 5% wet bacterial cellulose and the second from the same PVA solution and 10% wet bacterial cellulose. In terms of PVA/dry BC ratios (w/w) for these films the ratios are 1/0.025 and 1/0.050. The obtained composite materials were characterized by infrared spectroscopy with Fourier transform (FT-IR) and UV-vis spectroscopy in order to evaluate the irradiation effect on their stability. The swelling behavior of the polymeric composites was also studied. The composite materials were compared with a film of pure PVA and a dry BC membrane.

  3. Development of electrospun poly (vinyl alcohol)-based bionanocomposite scaffolds for bone tissue engineering.

    PubMed

    Enayati, Mohammad Saied; Behzad, Tayebeh; Sajkiewicz, Pawel; Rafienia, Mohammad; Bagheri, Rouhollah; Ghasemi-Mobarakeh, Laleh; Kolbuk, Dorota; Pahlevanneshan, Zari; Bonakdar, Shahin H

    2018-04-01

    The article is focused on the role of nanohydroxy apatite (nHAp) and cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) as fillers in the electrospun poly (vinyl alcohol) (ES-PVA) nanofibers for bone tissue engineering (TE). Fibrous scaffolds of PVA, PVA/nHAp (10 wt.%), and PVA/nHAp(10 wt.%)/CNF(3 wt.%) were successfully fabricated and characterized. Tensile test on electrospun PVA/nHAp10 and PVA/nHAp10/CNF3 revealed a three-fold and seven-fold increase in modulus compared with pure ES-PVA (45.45 ± 4.77). Although, nanofiller loading slightly reduced the porosity percentage, all scaffolds had porosity higher than 70%. In addition, contact angle test proved the great hydrophilicity of scaffolds. The presence of fillers reduced in vitro biodegradation rate in PBS while accelerates biomineralization in simulated body fluid (SBF). Furthermore, cell viability, cell attachment, and functional activity of osteoblast MG-63 cells were studied on scaffolds showing higher cellular activity for scaffolds with nanofillers. Generally, the obtained results confirm that the 3-componemnt fibrous scaffold of PVA/nHAp/CNF has promising potential in hard TE. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 106A: 1111-1120, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  4. Flame-retardant polyvinyl alcohol membrane with high transparency based on a reactive phosphorus-containing compound

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Peng, Sha; Zhou, Ming; Liu, Feiyan; Zhang, Chang; Liu, Xueqing; Liu, Jiyan; Zou, Liyong; Chen, Jia

    2017-08-01

    Flame-retardant polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) membranes with high transparency and flexibility were prepared by mixing an aqueous solution of a phosphorus-containing acrylic acid (AOPA) with PVA. The reaction between AOPA and PVA, the transparency, the crystallinity and the flexibility of the membrane were investigated with Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), UV-vis light transmittance, X-ray diffraction and tensile tests, respectively. The limited oxygen index (LOI) and vertical flame (UL 94 VTM), microscale combustion calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and TGA-FTIR were employed to evaluate the flame retardancy as well as to reveal the corresponding mechanisms. Results showed that PVA containing 30 wt% of AOPA can reach the UL 94 VTM V0 rating with an LOI of 27.3% and retain 95% of the original transparency of pure PVA. Adding AOPA reduces crystallinity of PVA, while the flexibility is increased. AOPA depresses the thermal degradation of PVA and promotes char formation during combustion. The proposed decomposition mechanism indicates that AOPA acts mainly in the condensed phase.

  5. Preparation of poly(vinyl alcohol)/kaolinite nanocomposites via in situ polymerization

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Jia Xin; Department of Chemistry, Hexi University, Zhangye 734000; Li Yanfeng

    2008-03-04

    Poly(vinyl alcohol)/kaolinite intercalated nanocomposites (Kao-PVA) were prepared via in situ intercalation radical polymerization. Vinyl acetate (VAc) was intercalated into kaolinite by a displacement method using dimethyl sulfoxide/kaolinite (Kao-DMSO) as the intermediate. Then, PVAc/kaolinite (Kao-PVAc) was obtained via radical polymerization with benzoyl peroxide (BPO) as initiator. Last, PVAc/kaolinite was saponified via direct-hydrolysis with NaOH solution in order to obtain PVA/kaolinite nanocomposites, which was characterized by Fourier-Transformation spectroscopy (FTIR), wide X-ray diffraction (WXRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Their differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) results of the obtained PVA/kaolinite suggested that the thermal properties had an obvious improvement.

  6. Effect of dopant on electrical properties of PVA doped NaF polymer electrolyte films

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Irfan, Mohammed; Razikha Banu, S.; Manjunath, A.; Mahesh, S. S.

    2018-05-01

    Polymer electrolyte films of Poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) doped with Sodium fluoride (NaF) of different weight ratios (6, 8 and 10 wt %) were prepared by solution casting method. We observed that AC conductivity was found to increase with rise in temperature and frequency with slope S ranging from 0.7 to 0.9. The Correlated Barrier Hopping (CBH) model is used because the value of S is temperature dependent and its value decreases by increasing temperature. The dielectric constant has high values in the low frequency region; this is due to the existence of various types of polarization mechanisms. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) diagram of pure PVA shows a characteristic peak at 2θ=19.490 indicating its semi-crystalline nature. On the incorporation of NaF salt into the polymer, the intensity of peak decreases gradually, suggesting a decrease in the degree of crystallinity of the complex. The CBH model is used to calculate the polaron binding energy (WM), the Hoping distance (R), the minimum hoping distance (Rmin) and the activation energy (Ea) results are discussed.

  7. Graphite coated PVA fibers as the reinforcement for cementitious composites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Yunhua; Zhang, Zhipeng; Liu, Zhichao

    2018-02-01

    A new preconditioning method was developed to PVA fibers as the reinforcement in cement-based materials. Virgin PVA fibers exhibits limited adhesion to graphite powders due to the presence of oil spots on the surface. Mixing PVA fibers with a moderately concentrated KMnO4-H2SO4 solution can efficiently remove the oil spots by oxidation without creating extra precipitate (MnO2) associated with the reduction reaction. This enhances the coating of graphite powders onto fiber surface and improves the mechanical properties of PVA fiber reinforced concrete (PVA-FRC). Graphite powders yields better fiber distribution in the matrix and reduces the fiber-matrix bonding, which is beneficial in uniformly distributing the stress among embedded fibers and creating steady generation and propagation of tight microcracks. This is evidenced by the significantly enhanced strain hardening behavior and improved flexural strength and toughness.

  8. Hybrid Polyvinyl Alcohol and Cellulose Fiber Pulp Instead of Asbestos Fibers in Cement-Based Composites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shokrieh, M. M.; Mahmoudi, A.; Shadkam, H. R.

    2015-05-01

    The Taguchi method was used to determine the optimum content of a four-parameters cellulose fiber pulp, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers, a silica fume, and bentonite for cement-based composite sheets. Then cement composite sheets from the hybrid of PVA and the cellulose fiber pulp were manufactured, and their moduli of rapture were determined experimentally. The result obtained showed that cement composites with a hybrid of PVA and cellulose fiber pulp had a higher flexural strength than cellulose-fiber- reinforced cement ones, but this strength was rather similar to that of asbestos-fiber-reinforced cement composites. Also, using the results of flexural tests and an analytical method, the tensile and compressive moduli of the hybrid of PVA and cement sheet were calculated. The hybrid of PVA and cellulose fiber pulp is proposed as an appropriate alternative for substituting asbestos in the Hatschek process.

  9. Effect of adsorbed/intercalated anionic dyes into the mechanical properties of PVA: layered zinc hydroxide nitrate nanocomposites.

    PubMed

    Marangoni, Rafael; Mikowski, Alexandre; Wypych, Fernando

    2010-11-15

    Zinc hydroxide nitrate (ZHN) was adsorbed with anions of blue dyes (Chicago sky blue, CSB; Evans blue, EB; and Niagara blue, NB) and intercalated with anions of orange dyes (Orange G, OG; Orange II, OII; methyl orange, MO). Transparent, homogeneous and colored nanocomposite films were obtained by casting after dispersing the pigments (dye-intercalated/adsorbed into LHSs) into commercial poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA). The films were characterized by XRD, UV-Vis spectroscopy, and mechanical testing. The mechanical properties of the PVA compounded with the dye-intercalated/adsorbed ZHN were evaluated, and reasonable increases in Young's modulus and ultimate tensile strength were observed, depending on the amount and choice of layered filler. These results demonstrate the possibility of using a new class of layered hydroxide salts intercalated and adsorbed with anionic dyes to prepare multifunctional polymer nanocomposite materials. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Non-isothermal crystallization kinetics of eucalyptus lignosulfonate/polyvinyl alcohol composite.

    PubMed

    Ye, De-Zhan; Zhang, Xi; Gu, Shaojin; Zhou, Yingshan; Xu, Weilin

    2017-04-01

    The nonisothermal crystallinization kinetic was performed on Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) mixed with eucalyptus lignosulfonate calcuim (HLS) as the biobased thermal stabilizer, which was systematically analyzed based on Jeziorny model, Ozawa equation and the Mo method. The results indicated that the entire crystallization process took place through two main stages involving the primary and secondary crystallization processes. The Mo method described nonisothermal crystallization behavior well. Based on the results of the half time for completing crystallization, k c value in Jeziorny model, F(T) value in Mo method and crystallization activation energy, it was concluded that low loading of HLS accelerated PVA crystallization process, however, the growth rate of PVA crystallization was impeded at high content of HLS. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Effect of deacetylation on property of electrospun chitosan/PVA nanofibrous membrane and removal of methyl orange, Fe(III) and Cr(VI) ions.

    PubMed

    Habiba, Umma; Siddique, Tawsif A; Talebian, Sepehr; Lee, Jacky Jia Li; Salleh, Areisman; Ang, Bee Chin; Afifi, Amalina M

    2017-12-01

    In this study, effect of degree of deacetylation on property and adsorption capacity of chitosan/polyvinyl Alcohol electrospun membrane has been investigated. Resulting nanofibers were characterized by FESEM, FTIR, XRD, TGA, tensile testing, weight loss test and adsorption test. FESEM result shows, finer nanofiber was fabricated from 42h hydrolyzed chitosan and PVA blend solution. FTIR and XRD result showed a strong interaction between chitosan and polyvinyl alcohol. Higher tensile strength was observed for the nanofiber having 42h hydrolyzed chitosan. Blend solution of chitosan/PVA having low DD chitosan had higher viscosity. The nanofibrous membrane was stable in distilled water, acidic and basic medium. The isotherm study shows that the adsorption capacity (q m ) of nanofiber containing higher DD chitosan was higher for Cr(VI). In contrary, the membrane containing chitosan with lower DD showed the higher adsorption capacity for Fe(III) and methyl orange. Moreover, the effect of DD on removal percentage of adsorbate was dependent on the initial concentration of the adsorbate. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Preparation and Properties of Nano-Hydroxyapatite/Gelatin/Poly(vinyl alcohol) Composite Membrane.

    PubMed

    Liao, Haotian; Shi, Kun; Peng, Jinrong; Qu, Ying; Liao, Jinfeng; Qian, Zhiyong

    2015-06-01

    In this study, the bone-like composite membrane based on blends of gelatin (Gel), nano-hydroxyapatite (n-HA) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) was fabricated by solvent casting and evaporation methods. The effect of n-HA content and the ratio of Gel/PVA on the properties of the composite was investigated. The Gel/PVA and n-HA/Gel/PVA composite membranes were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), water contact angle measurement and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The mechanical properties of the composites were determined by tensile tests. The as prepared composite membranes exhibited hydrophobility, the water contact angle of composite membrane was 126.6 when its mass ratio of n-HA/Gel/PVA was 10/50/40. The tensile strength of composite membranes was greatly increased due to the introduction of n-HA, and the tensile strength was increased to 74.92 MPa when the mass ratio of n-HA/Gel/PVA was 10/50/40. SEM observation indicated that n-HA was dispersed in the membranes and a sea-island structure was formed in the n-HA/Gel/PVA composite membranes, resulting in a significant increase in tensile strength. The as-prepared n-HA/Gel/PVA composite membranes may be applied in the field of bone tissue engineering.

  13. Effects of hydrogen peroxide feeding strategies on the photochemical degradation of polyvinyl alcohol.

    PubMed

    Hamad, Dina; Dhib, Ramdhane; Mehrvar, Mehrab

    2016-11-01

    The performance of batch and fed-batch photoreactors with that of continuous photoreactor for the treatment of aqueous polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) solutions is compared. Hydrogen peroxide feeding strategies, residence time, and [H2O2]/[PVA] mass ratio are examined for their impacts on the molecular weight distribution (MWD) of PVA and the total organic carbon (TOC) removal. The results prove that a continuous addition of H2O2 during the degradation reaction ensures the utilization of the produced radicals to minimize the oxidant consumption and maximize the TOC removal and the PVA degradation in a short irradiation time. Also, the MWD of PVA is found to be bimodal and shifted towards lower molecular weights with small shoulder peak indicating a progressive disappearance of the higher molecular weight fractions that is in accordance with the random chains scission mechanism. Besides, the hydrogen peroxide feeding strategies are found to have a great effect on the reduction in H2O2 residuals in the effluent.

  14. Formation mechanism of a silane-PVA/PVAc complex film on a glass fiber surface.

    PubMed

    Repovsky, Daniel; Jane, Eduard; Palszegi, Tibor; Slobodnik, Marek; Velic, Dusan

    2013-10-21

    Mechanical properties of glass fiber reinforced composite materials are affected by fiber sizing. A complex film formation, based on a silane film and PVA/PVAc (polyvinyl alcohol/polyvinyl acetate) microspheres on a glass fiber surface is determined at 1) the nanoscale by using atomic force microscopy (AFM), and 2) the macroscale by using the zeta potential. Silane groups strongly bind through the Si-O-Si bond to the glass surface, which provides the attachment mechanism as a coupling agent. The silane groups form islands, a homogeneous film, as well as empty sites. The average roughness of the silanized surface is 6.5 nm, whereas it is only 0.6 nm for the non-silanized surface. The silane film vertically penetrates in a honeycomb fashion from the glass surface through the deposited PVA/PVAc microspheres to form a hexagonal close pack structure. The silane film not only penetrates, but also deforms the PVA/PVAc microspheres from the spherical shape in a dispersion to a ellipsoidal shape on the surface with average dimensions of 300/600 nm. The surface area value Sa represents an area of PVA/PVAc microspheres that are not affected by the silane penetration. The areas are found to be 0.2, 0.08, and 0.03 μm(2) if the ellipsoid sizes are 320/570, 300/610, and 270/620 nm for silane concentrations of 0, 3.8, and 7.2 μg mL(-1), respectively. The silane film also moves PVA/PVAc microspheres in the process of complex film formation, from the low silane concentration areas to the complex film area providing enough silane groups to stabilize the structure. The values for the residual silane honeycomb structure heights (Ha ) are 6.5, 7, and 12 nm for silane concentrations of 3.8, 7.2, and 14.3 μg mL(-1), respectively. The pH-dependent zeta-potential results suggest a specific role of the silane groups with effects on the glass fiber surface and also on the PVA/PVAc microspheres. The non-silanized glass fiber surface and the silane film have similar zeta potentials ranging

  15. Physical Evaluation of PVA/Chitosan Film Blends with Glycerine and Calcium Chloride

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nugraheni, A. D.; Purnawati, D.; Kusumaatmaja, A.

    2018-04-01

    PVA/chitosan film has been fabricated by using drop casting method. PVA/chitosan film is produced by dissolving 2% (w/v) PVA solution and 2% (w/v) chitosan solution. PVA/chitosan film is produced with weight ratio variation (w/w) 100/0, 75/25, 50/50 and 0/100. The film is fabricated using drop casting method in Petry dish with diameter 11 cm at room temperature and RH 50%–60% during seven days. The mechanical properties were characterized by using Universal Technical Machine (UTM) and UV-Vis to understand the physical properties of weight ratio (w/w) of PVA/Chitosan film by addition of plasticizer and calcium chloride. The film thickness tends to decrease with PVA content. The addition of chitosan will increase film thickness, and it will decrease swelling index, elongation (%), and transmittance of UV rays. The additions of plasticizer to PVA/Chitosan film will increase film thickness and elongation (%), and it will decrease swelling index, tensile strength and transmittance of UV rays. The crosslink of PVA/Chitosan film with calcium chloride will decrease film thickness, swelling index, elongation (%) and transmittance of UV rays, and increase tensile strength.

  16. Flame-retardant polyvinyl alcohol membrane with high transparency based on a reactive phosphorus-containing compound.

    PubMed

    Peng, Sha; Zhou, Ming; Liu, Feiyan; Zhang, Chang; Liu, Xueqing; Liu, Jiyan; Zou, Liyong; Chen, Jia

    2017-08-01

    Flame-retardant polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) membranes with high transparency and flexibility were prepared by mixing an aqueous solution of a phosphorus-containing acrylic acid (AOPA) with PVA. The reaction between AOPA and PVA, the transparency, the crystallinity and the flexibility of the membrane were investigated with Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), UV-vis light transmittance, X-ray diffraction and tensile tests, respectively. The limited oxygen index (LOI) and vertical flame (UL 94 VTM), microscale combustion calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and TGA-FTIR were employed to evaluate the flame retardancy as well as to reveal the corresponding mechanisms. Results showed that PVA containing 30 wt% of AOPA can reach the UL 94 VTM V0 rating with an LOI of 27.3% and retain 95% of the original transparency of pure PVA. Adding AOPA reduces crystallinity of PVA, while the flexibility is increased. AOPA depresses the thermal degradation of PVA and promotes char formation during combustion. The proposed decomposition mechanism indicates that AOPA acts mainly in the condensed phase.

  17. Effects of FeCl3 additives on optical parameters of PVA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Latif, Duha M. A.; Chiad, Sami S.; Erhayief, Muhssen S.; Abass, Khalid H.; Habubi, Nadir F.; Hussin, Hadi A.

    2018-05-01

    PVA doped FeCl3 have been deposited utilizing casting technique. Absorption spectrum was registered in the wavelengths (300-900 nm) utilizing UV-Visible spectrophotometer. Optical constants behavior such as, absorbance, absorption coefficient, and skin depth were studied. It was found these parameters were increased as Fe content increase. While the extinction coefficient and optical conductivity was decreased. The energy gap of PVA-Fe films were decreased from 4 eV for the PVA film to 3.5 eV for the PVA: 4 % Fe film.

  18. A novel electrochemical biosensor based on Fe3O4 nanoparticles-polyvinyl alcohol composite for sensitive detection of glucose.

    PubMed

    Sanaeifar, Niuosha; Rabiee, Mohammad; Abdolrahim, Mojgan; Tahriri, Mohammadreza; Vashaee, Daryoosh; Tayebi, Lobat

    2017-02-15

    In this research, a new electrochemical biosensor was constructed for the glucose detection. Iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe 3 O 4 ) were synthesized through co-precipitation method. Polyvinyl alcohol-Fe 3 O 4 nanocomposite was prepared by dispersing synthesized nanoparticles in the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) solution. Glucose oxidase (GOx) was immobilized on the PVA-Fe 3 O 4 nanocomposite via physical adsorption. The mixture of PVA, Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles and GOx was drop cast on a tin (Sn) electrode surface (GOx/PVA-Fe 3 O 4 /Sn). The Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Also, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) techniques were utilized to evaluate the PVA-Fe 3 O 4 and GOx/PVA-Fe 3 O 4 nanocomposites. The electrochemical performance of the modified biosensor was investigated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). Presence of Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles in the PVA matrix enhanced the electron transfer between enzyme and electrode surface and the immobilized GOx showed excellent catalytic characteristic toward glucose. The GOx/PVA-Fe 3 O 4 /Sn bioelectrode could measure glucose in the range from 5 × 10 -3 to 30 mM with a sensitivity of 9.36 μA mM -1 and exhibited a lower detection limit of 8 μM at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3. The value of Michaelis-Menten constant (K M ) was calculated as 1.42 mM. The modified biosensor also has good anti-interfering ability during the glucose detection, fast response (10 s), good reproducibility and satisfactory stability. Finally, the results demonstrated that the GOx/PVA-Fe 3 O 4 /Sn bioelectrode is promising in biosensor construction. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Biodegradation behaviors and water adsorption of poly(vinyl alcohol)/starch/carboxymethyl cellulose/clay nanocomposites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Taghizadeh, Mohammad Taghi; Sabouri, Narges

    2013-09-01

    The focus of this work is to study the effect of sodium montmorillonite (MMT-Na) clay content on the rate and extent of enzymatic hydrolysis polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/starch (S)/carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) blends using enzyme cellulase. The rate of glucose production from each nanocomposite substrates was most rapid for the substrate without MMT-Na and decreased with the addition of MMT-Na for PVA/S/CMC blend (51.5 μg/ml h), PVA/S/CMC/1% MMT (45.4 μg/ml h), PVA/S/CMC/3% MMT (42.8 μg/ml h), and PVA/S/CMC/5% MMT (39.2 μg/ml h). The results of this study have revealed that films with MMT-Na content at 5 wt.% exhibited a significantly reduced rate and extent of hydrolysis. Enzymatic degradation behavior of MMT-Na containing nanocomposites of PVA/S/CMC was based on the determinations of weight loss and the reducing sugars. The degraded residues have been characterized by various analytical techniques, such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electronic microscopy, and UV-vis spectroscopy.

  20. Ultrasonic-assisted preparation of graphene oxide carboxylic acid polyvinyl alcohol polymer film and studies of thermal stability and surface resistivity.

    PubMed

    Li, Yongshen; Li, Jihui; Li, Yuehai; Li, Yali; Song, Yunan; Niu, Shuai; Li, Ning

    2018-01-01

    In this paper, flake graphite, nitric acid and acetic anhydride are used to prepare graphene oxide carboxylic acid (GO-COOH) via an ultrasonic-assisted method, and GO-COOH and polyvinyl alcohol polymer (PVA) are used to synthesize graphene oxide carboxylic acid polyvinyl alcohol polymer (GO-COOPVA) via the ultrasonic-assisted method, and GO-COOPVA is used to manufacture graphene oxide carboxylic acid polyvinyl alcohol polymer film (GO-COOPVA film) via a solidification method, and the structure and morphology of GO-COOH, GO-COOPVA and GO-COOPVA film are characterized, and the thermal stability and surface resistivity are measured in the case of the different amount of GO-COOH. Based on the characterization and measurement, it has been successively confirmed and attested that carboxyl groups implant on 2D lattice of GO to form GO-COOH, and GO-COOH and PVA have the esterification reaction to produce GO-COOPVA, and GO-COOPVA consists of 2D lattice of GO-COOH and the chain of PVA connected in the form of carboxylic ester, and GO-COOPVA film is composed of GO-COOPVA, and the thermal stability of GO-COOPVA film obviously improves in comparison with PVA film, and the surface resistivity of GO-COOPVA film clearly decreases. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Strong and Robust Polyaniline-Based Supramolecular Hydrogels for Flexible Supercapacitors.

    PubMed

    Li, Wanwan; Gao, Fengxian; Wang, Xiaoqian; Zhang, Ning; Ma, Mingming

    2016-08-01

    We report a supramolecular strategy to prepare conductive hydrogels with outstanding mechanical and electrochemical properties, which are utilized for flexible solid-state supercapacitors (SCs) with high performance. The supramolecular assembly of polyaniline and polyvinyl alcohol through dynamic boronate bond yields the polyaniline-polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel (PPH), which shows remarkable tensile strength (5.3 MPa) and electrochemical capacitance (928 F g(-1) ). The flexible solid-state supercapacitor based on PPH provides a large capacitance (306 mF cm(-2) and 153 F g(-1) ) and a high energy density of 13.6 Wh kg(-1) , superior to other flexible supercapacitors. The robustness of the PPH-based supercapacitor is demonstrated by the 100 % capacitance retention after 1000 mechanical folding cycles, and the 90 % capacitance retention after 1000 galvanostatic charge-discharge cycles. The high activity and robustness enable the PPH-based supercapacitor as a promising power device for flexible electronics. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  2. Protein-resistant cross-linked poly(vinyl alcohol) micropatterns via photolithography using removable polyoxometalate photocatalyst.

    PubMed

    Pavli, Pagona; Petrou, Panagiota S; Douvas, Antonios M; Dimotikali, Dimitra; Kakabakos, Sotirios E; Argitis, Panagiotis

    2014-10-22

    In the last years, there has been an increasing interest in controlling the protein adsorption properties of surfaces because this control is crucial for the design of biomaterials. On the other hand, controlled immobilization of proteins is also important for their application as solid surfaces in immunodiagnostics and biosensors. Herein we report a new protein patterning method where regions of the substrate are covered by a hydrophilic film that minimizes protein adsorption. Particularly, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) cross-linked structures created by an especially developed photolithographic process are proved to prevent protein physisorption and they are used as a guide for selective protein adsorption on the uncovered areas of a protein adsorbing substrate such as polystyrene. The PVA cross-linking is induced by photo-oxidation using, as a catalyst, polyoxometalate (H3PW12O40 or α-(NH4)6P2W18O62), which is removed using a methyl alcohol/water mixed solvent as the developer. We demonstrate that the polystyrene and the cross-linked PVA exhibit dramatically different performances in terms of protein physisorption. In particular, the polystyrene areas presented up to 130 times higher protein binding capacity than the PVA ones, whereas the patterning resolution could easily reach dimensions of a few micrometers. The proposed approach can be applied on any substrate where PVA films can be coated for controlling protein adsorption onto surface areas custom defined by the user.

  3. Biomedical applications of stereoregular poly(vinyl alcohol) micro- and nanoparticles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lyoo, Won Seok; Kim, Joon Ho; Kim, Sam Soo; Ghim, Han Do

    2002-11-01

    Syndiotactic poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/poly(vinyl pivalate/vinyl acetate) (P(VPi/VAc)) and atactic PVA/PVAc micro- and nanoparticles with skin/core structure have been prepared by heterogeneous saponification of P(VPi/VAc) and PVAc micro- and nanoparticles. Especially, to prepare P(VPi/VAc) and PVAc microparticles having various particle sizes and uniform particle size distribution, vinyl pivalate (VPi)/vinyl acetate (VAc) and VAc were suspension-polymerized using a low-temperature initiator, 2,2"-azobis(2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile). P(VPi/VAc) particles are promising precursor of stereoregular PVA embolic materials which can be introduced through catheters in the management of gastrointestinal bleeders, arteriovenous malformations, hemangiomas, and traumatic rupture of blood vessels. Monodisperse and/or nearly monodisperse P(VPi/VAc) and PVAc microparticles with various particle diameters were obtained by controlling suspension polymerization conditions. Monodisperse P(VPi/VAc) and PVAc microparticles having various particle sizes were partially saponified in the heterogeneous system. PVA/P(VPi/VAc) and PVA/PVAc microparticles having various tacticity and degree of saponification were produced by controlling various polymerization and saponification conditions. The coating of stereoregular PVA micro- and nanoparticles for drug release experiments was conducted with the strepo-avidin-alkaline phosphatase conjugate in variable conditions of pH value, coating buffer, and reaction temperature. Protein-coated syndiotactic PVA micro- and nanoparticles, which does not crosslinking, were more superior to controllability of drug release, durability, and dimensional stability to water and blood than atactic one.

  4. Fabrication of Li2TiO3 pebbles using PVA-boric acid reaction for solid breeding materials

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Park, Yi-Hyun; Cho, Seungyon; Ahn, Mu-Young

    2014-12-01

    Lithium metatitanate (Li2TiO3) is a candidate breeding material of the Helium Cooled Ceramic Reflector (HCCR) Test Blanket Module (TBM). The breeding material is used in pebble-bed form to reduce the uncertainty of the interface thermal conductance. In this study, Li2TiO3 pebbles were successfully fabricated by the slurry droplet wetting method using the cross-linking reaction between polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and boric acid. The effects of fabrication parameters on the shaping of Li2TiO3 green body were investigated. In addition, the basic characteristics of the sintered pebble were also evaluated. The shape of Li2TiO3 green bodies was affected by slurry viscosity, PVA content and boric acid content. The grain size and average crush load of sintered Li2TiO3 pebble were controlled by the sintering time. The boron was completely removed during the final sintering process.

  5. Improvement of mechanical robustness of the superhydrophobic wood surface by coating PVA/SiO2 composite polymer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Feng; Wang, Shuliang; Zhang, Ming; Ma, Miaolian; Wang, Chengyu; Li, Jian

    2013-09-01

    Improvement of the robustness of superhydrophobic surfaces is crucial for the purpose of achieving commercial applications of these surfaces in such various areas as self-cleaning, water repellency and corrosion resistance. We have investigated a fabrication of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/silica (SiO2) composite polymer coating on wooden substrates with super repellency toward water, low sliding angles, low contact angle hysteresis, and relatively better mechanical robustness. The composite polymer slurry, consisting of well-mixing SiO2 particles and PVA, is prepared simply and subsequently coated over wooden substrates with good adhesion. In this study, the mechanical robustness of superhydrophobic wood surfaces was evaluated. The effect of petaloid structures of the composite polymer on robustness was investigated using an abrasion test and the results were compared with those of superhydrophobic wood surfaces fabricated by other processes. The produced wood surfaces exhibited promising superhydrophobic properties with a contact angle of 159̊ and a sliding angle of 4̊, and the relatively better mechanical robustness.

  6. Ultrasonic-assisted synthesis of polyvinyl alcohol/phytic acid polymer film and its thermal stability, mechanical properties and surface resistivity.

    PubMed

    Li, Jihui; Li, Yongshen; Song, Yunna; Niu, Shuai; Li, Ning

    2017-11-01

    In this paper, polyvinyl alcohol/phytic acid polymer (PVA/PA polymer) was synthesized through esterification reaction of PVA and PA in the case of acidity and ultrasound irradiation and characterized, and PVA/PA polymer film was prepared by PVA/PA polymer and characterized, and the influence of dosage of PA on the thermal stability, mechanical properties and surface resistivity of PVA/PA polymer film were researched, and the influence of sonication time on the mechanical properties of PVA/PA polymer film was investigated. Based on those, it was concluded that the hydroxyl group on the chain of PVA and the phosphonic group on PA were connected together in the form of phosphonate bond, and the hydroxyl group on the chain of PVA were connected together in the form of ether bond after the intermolecular dehydration; in the meantime, it was also confirmed that PVA/PA polymer film prepared from 1.20mL of PA not only had the high thermal stability and favorable ductility but also the low surface resistivity in comparison with PVA/PA polymer film with 0.00mL of PA, and the ductility of PVA/PA polymer film was very sensitive to the sonication time. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  7. Resistive Switching in All-Printed, Flexible and Hybrid MoS2-PVA Nanocomposite based Memristive Device Fabricated by Reverse Offset

    PubMed Central

    Rehman, Muhammad Muqeet; Siddiqui, Ghayas Uddin; Gul, Jahan Zeb; Kim, Soo-Wan; Lim, Jong Hwan; Choi, Kyung Hyun

    2016-01-01

    Owing to the increasing interest in the nonvolatile memory devices, resistive switching based on hybrid nanocomposite of a 2D material, molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is explored in this work. As a proof of concept, we have demonstrated the fabrication of a memory device with the configuration of PET/Ag/MoS2-PVA/Ag via an all printed, hybrid, and state of the art fabrication approach. Bottom Ag electrodes, active layer of hybrid MoS2-PVA nanocomposite and top Ag electrode are deposited by reverse offset, electrohydrodynamic (EHD) atomization and electrohydrodynamic (EHD) patterning respectively. The fabricated device displayed characteristic bistable, nonvolatile and rewritable resistive switching behavior at a low operating voltage. A decent off/on ratio, high retention time, and large endurance of 1.28 × 102, 105 sec and 1000 voltage sweeps were recorded respectively. Double logarithmic curve satisfy the trap controlled space charge limited current (TCSCLC) model in high resistance state (HRS) and ohmic model in low resistance state (LRS). Bendability test at various bending diameters (50-2 mm) for 1500 cycles was carried out to show the mechanical robustness of fabricated device. PMID:27811977

  8. Bioinspired design and macroscopic assembly of poly(vinyl alcohol)-coated graphene into kilometers-long fibers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kou, Liang; Gao, Chao

    2013-05-01

    Nacre is characterized by its excellent mechanical performance due to the well-recognized ``brick and mortar'' structure. Many efforts have been applied to make nacre-mimicking materials, but it is still a big challenge to realize their continuous production. Here, we prepared sandwich-like building blocks of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)-coated graphene, and achieved high-nanofiller-content kilometers-long fibers by continuous wet-spinning assembly technology. The fibers have a strict ``brick and mortar'' layered structure, with graphene sheet as rigid brick and PVA as soft mortar. The mortar thickness can be precisely tuned from 2.01 to 3.31 nm by the weight feed ratio of PVA to graphene, as demonstrated by both atomic force microscopy and X-ray diffraction measurements. The mechanical strength of the nacre-mimicking fibers increases with increasing the content of PVA, and it rises gradually from 81 MPa for the fiber with 53.1 wt% PVA to 161 MPa for the fiber with 65.8 wt% PVA. The mechanical performance of our fibers was independent of the molecular weight (MW) of PVA in the wide range of 2-100 kDa, indicating that low MW polymers can also be used to make strong nanocomposites. The tensile stress of fibers immersed in PVA 5 wt% solution reached ca. 200 MPa, surpassing the values of nacre and most of other nacre-mimicking materials. The nacre-mimicking fibers are highly electrically conductive (~350 S m-1) after immersing in hydroiodic acid, enabling them to connect a circuit to illuminate an LED lamp.Nacre is characterized by its excellent mechanical performance due to the well-recognized ``brick and mortar'' structure. Many efforts have been applied to make nacre-mimicking materials, but it is still a big challenge to realize their continuous production. Here, we prepared sandwich-like building blocks of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)-coated graphene, and achieved high-nanofiller-content kilometers-long fibers by continuous wet-spinning assembly technology. The fibers

  9. Strength Development of High-Strength Ductile Concrete Incorporating Metakaolin and PVA Fibers

    PubMed Central

    Nuruddin, Muhammad Fadhil; Shafiq, Nasir

    2014-01-01

    The mechanical properties of high-strength ductile concrete (HSDC) have been investigated using Metakaolin (MK) as the cement replacing material and PVA fibers. Total twenty-seven (27) mixes of concrete have been examined with varying content of MK and PVA fibers. It has been found that the coarser type PVA fibers provide strengths competitive to control or higher than control. Concrete with coarser type PVA fibers has also refined microstructure, but the microstructure has been undergone with the increase in aspect ratio of fibers. The microstructure of concrete with MK has also more refined and packing of material is much better with MK. PVA fibers not only give higher stiffness but also showed the deflection hardening response. Toughness Index of HSDC reflects the improvement in flexural toughness over the plain concrete and the maximum toughness indices have been observed with 10% MK and 2% volume fraction of PVA fibers. PMID:24707202

  10. Strength development of high-strength ductile concrete incorporating Metakaolin and PVA fibers.

    PubMed

    Nuruddin, Muhammad Fadhil; Khan, Sadaqat Ullah; Shafiq, Nasir; Ayub, Tehmina

    2014-01-01

    The mechanical properties of high-strength ductile concrete (HSDC) have been investigated using Metakaolin (MK) as the cement replacing material and PVA fibers. Total twenty-seven (27) mixes of concrete have been examined with varying content of MK and PVA fibers. It has been found that the coarser type PVA fibers provide strengths competitive to control or higher than control. Concrete with coarser type PVA fibers has also refined microstructure, but the microstructure has been undergone with the increase in aspect ratio of fibers. The microstructure of concrete with MK has also more refined and packing of material is much better with MK. PVA fibers not only give higher stiffness but also showed the deflection hardening response. Toughness Index of HSDC reflects the improvement in flexural toughness over the plain concrete and the maximum toughness indices have been observed with 10% MK and 2% volume fraction of PVA fibers.

  11. pH and Glucose Dual-Responsive Injectable Hydrogels with Insulin and Fibroblasts as Bioactive Dressings for Diabetic Wound Healing.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Lingling; Niu, Lijing; Liang, Hongze; Tan, Hui; Liu, Chaozong; Zhu, Feiyan

    2017-11-01

    pH and glucose dual-responsive injectable hydrogels were prepared through the cross-linking of Schiff's base and phenylboronate ester using phenylboronic-modified chitosan, poly(vinyl alcohol) and benzaldehyde-capped poly(ethylene glycol). Protein drugs and live cells could be incorporated into the hydrogels during the in situ cross-linking, displaying sustained and pH/glucose-triggered drug release from the hydrogels and cell viability and proliferation in the three-dimensional hydrogel matrix as well. Hence, the hydrogels with insulin and fibroblasts were considered as bioactive dressings for diabetic wound healing. A streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat model was used to evaluate the efficacy of hydrogel dressings in wound repair. The results revealed that the incorporation of insulin and L929 in the hydrogels could promote neovascularization and collagen deposition and enhance the wound-healing process of diabetic wounds. Thus, the drug- and cell-loaded hydrogels have promising potential in wound healing as a medicated system for various therapeutic proteins and live cells.

  12. Preparation of polyvinyl alcohol graphene oxide phosphonate film and research of thermal stability and mechanical properties.

    PubMed

    Li, Jihui; Song, Yunna; Ma, Zheng; Li, Ning; Niu, Shuai; Li, Yongshen

    2018-05-01

    In this article, flake graphite, nitric acid, peroxyacetic acid and phosphoric acid are used to prepare graphene oxide phosphonic and phosphinic acids (GOPAs), and GOPAs and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) are used to synthesize polyvinyl alcohol graphene oxide phosphonate and phosphinate (PVAGOPs) in the case of faint acidity and ultrasound irradiation, and PVAGOPs are used to fabricate PVAGOPs film, and the structure and morphology of GOPAs, PVAGOPs and PVAGOPs film are characterized, and the thermal stability and mechanical properties of PVAGOPs film are investigated. Based on these, it has been proved that GOPAs consist of graphene oxide phosphonic acid and graphene oxide phosphinic acid, and there are CP covalent bonds between them, and PVAGOPs are composed of GOPAs and PVA, and there are six-member lactone rings between GOPAs and PVA, and the thermal stability and mechanical properties of PVAGOPs film are improved effectively. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Tuning optical and three photon absorption properties in graphene oxide-polyvinyl alcohol free standing films

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Karthikeyan, B., E-mail: bkarthik@nitt.edu; Hariharan, S.; Udayabhaskar, R.

    2016-07-11

    We report the optical and nonlinear optical properties of graphene oxide (GO)-polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) free standing films. The composite polymer films were prepared in ex-situ method. The variation in optical absorption spectra and optical constants with the amount of GO loading was noteworthy from the optical absorption spectroscopic studies. Nonlinear optical studies done at 532 nm using 5 ns laser pulses show three photon absorption like behaviour. Both steady state and time resolved fluorescence studies reveal that the GO was functioning as a pathway for the decay of fluorescence from PVA. This is attributed to the energy level modifications of GO throughmore » hydroxyl groups with PVA. Raman spectroscopy also supports the interaction between GO and PVA ions through OH radicals.« less

  14. Mucoadhesive polymers: Synthesis and in vitro characterization of thiolated poly(vinyl alcohol).

    PubMed

    Suchaoin, Wongsakorn; Pereira de Sousa, Irene; Netsomboon, Kesinee; Rohrer, Julia; Hoffmann Abad, Patricia; Laffleur, Flavia; Matuszczak, Barbara; Bernkop-Schnürch, Andreas

    2016-04-30

    The aim of this study was to synthesize thiolated poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and to evaluate its mucoadhesive properties. Thiourea and 3-mercaptopropionic acid were utilized in order to obtain thiolated PVAs, namely, TPVA1 and TPVA2, respectively. TPVA1 and TPVA2 displayed 130.44 ± 14.99 and 958.35 ± 155.27 μmol immobilized thiol groups per gram polymer, respectively, which were then evaluated regarding reactivity of thiol groups, swelling behavior and mucoadhesive properties. Both thiolated PVAs exhibited the highest reactivity at pH 8.0 whereas more than 95% of free thiol groups were preserved at pH 5.0. Thiolation of PVA decelerated water uptake and prolonged disintegration time of test discs compared to unmodified PVA. Contact time of TPVA1- and TPVA2-based test discs on porcine intestinal mucosa was 3.2- and 15.8-fold prolonged, respectively, in comparison to non-thiolated PVA as measured by rotating cylinder method. According to tensile studies on mucosa, the total work of adhesion (TWA) and the maximum detachment force (MDF) were increased when compared to PVA. Furthermore, thiolated PVAs preserved higher percentage of viable cells compared to unmodified PVA within 24h as evaluated by MTT assay. Accordingly, thiolated PVA represents a novel excipient that can likely improve the mucoadhesive properties of various pharmaceutical formulations. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Fabrication and characterization of polyvinyl alcohol/metal (Ca, Mg, Ti) doped zirconium phosphate nanocomposite films for scaffold-guided tissue engineering application.

    PubMed

    Kalita, Himani; Pal, Pallabi; Dhara, Santanu; Pathak, Amita

    2017-02-01

    Nanocomposite films of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and zirconium phosphate (ZrP)/doped ZrP (doped with Ca, Mg, Ti) nanoparticles have been developed by solvent casting method to assess their potential as matrix material in scaffold-guided tissue engineering application. The prepared ZrP and doped ZrP nanoparticles as well as the nanocomposite films were characterized by various spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. Nanoindentation studies revealed improved nanomechanical properties in the PVA/doped ZrP nanocomposite films (highest for PVA/Ti doped ZrP: hardness=262.4MPa; elastic modulus=5800MPa) as compared to the PVA/ZrP and neat PVA films. In-vitro cell culture experiments carried out to access the cellular viability, attachment, proliferation, and migration on the substrates, using mouse fibroblast (3T3) cell lines, inferred enhanced bioactivity in the PVA/doped ZrP nanocomposite films (highest for PVA/Ca doped ZrP) in contrast to PVA/ZrP and neat PVA films. Controlled biodegradability as well as swelling behavior, superior bioactivity and improved mechanical properties of the PVA/doped ZrP nanocomposite films make them promising matrix materials for scaffold-guided tissue engineering application. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Glass transition behavior of the vitrification solutions containing propanediol, dimethyl sulfoxide and polyvinyl alcohol.

    PubMed

    Wang, Hai-Yan; Lu, Shu-Shen; Lun, Zhao-Rong

    2009-02-01

    Knowledge of the glass transition behavior of vitrification solutions is important for research and planning of the cryopreservation of biological materials by vitrification. This brief communication shows the analysis for the glass transition and glass stability of the multi-component vitrification solutions containing propanediol (PE), dimethyl sulfoxide (Me2SO) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) during the cooling and subsequent warming between 25 and -150 degrees C. The glass formation of the solutions was enhanced by introduction of PVA. Partial glass formed during cooling and the fractions of free water in the partial glass matrix increased with the increasing of PVA concentration, which caused slight decline of glass transition temperature, T(g). Exothermic peaks of devitrification were delayed and broadened, which may result from the inhibition of ice nucleation or recrystallization of PVA.

  17. Supramolecular Hydrogelators and Hydrogels: From Soft Matter to Molecular Biomaterials

    PubMed Central

    2015-01-01

    In this review we intend to provide a relatively comprehensive summary of the work of supramolecular hydrogelators after 2004 and to put emphasis particularly on the applications of supramolecular hydrogels/hydrogelators as molecular biomaterials. After a brief introduction of methods for generating supramolecular hydrogels, we discuss supramolecular hydrogelators on the basis of their categories, such as small organic molecules, coordination complexes, peptides, nucleobases, and saccharides. Following molecular design, we focus on various potential applications of supramolecular hydrogels as molecular biomaterials, classified by their applications in cell cultures, tissue engineering, cell behavior, imaging, and unique applications of hydrogelators. Particularly, we discuss the applications of supramolecular hydrogelators after they form supramolecular assemblies but prior to reaching the critical gelation concentration because this subject is less explored but may hold equally great promise for helping address fundamental questions about the mechanisms or the consequences of the self-assembly of molecules, including low molecular weight ones. Finally, we provide a perspective on supramolecular hydrogelators. We hope that this review will serve as an updated introduction and reference for researchers who are interested in exploring supramolecular hydrogelators as molecular biomaterials for addressing the societal needs at various frontiers. PMID:26646318

  18. Separation of copper ions from iron ions using PVA-g-(acrylic acid/N-vinyl imidazole) membranes prepared by radiation-induced grafting.

    PubMed

    Ajji, Zaki; Ali, Ali M

    2010-01-15

    Acrylic acid (AAc), N-vinyl imidazole (Azol) and their binary mixtures were graft copolymerized onto poly(vinyl alcohol) membranes using gamma irradiation. The ability of the grafted membranes to separate Cu ions from Fe ions was investigated with respect to the grafting yield and the pH of the feed solution. The data showed that the diffusion of copper ions from the feed compartment to the receiver compartment depends on the grafting yield of the membranes and the pH of the feed solution. To the contrary, iron ions did not diffuse through the membranes of all grafting yields. However, a limited amount of iron ions diffused in strong acidic medium. This study shows that the prepared membranes could be considered for the separation of copper ions from iron ions. The temperature of thermal decomposition of pure PVA-g-AAc/Azol membrane, PVA-g-AAc/Azol membrane containing copper ions, and PVA-g-AAc/Azol membrane containing iron ions were determined using TGA analyzer. It was shown that the presence of Cu and Fe ions increases the decomposition temperature, and the membranes bonded with iron ions are more stable than those containing copper ions.

  19. Cellulose nanocrystals from Actinidia deliciosa pruning residues combined with carvacrol in PVA_CH films with antioxidant/antimicrobial properties for packaging applications.

    PubMed

    Luzi, Francesca; Fortunati, Elena; Giovanale, Geremia; Mazzaglia, Angelo; Torre, Luigi; Balestra, Giorgio Mariano

    2017-11-01

    Kiwi Actinidia deliciosa pruning residues were here used for the first time as precursors for the extraction of high performing cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) by applying a bleaching treatment followed by an acidic hydrolysis. The resultant cellulosic nanostructures, obtained by an optimize extraction procedure (0.7% wt/v two times of sodium chlorite NaClO 2 ) followed by an hydrolysis step, were then used as reinforcements phases in poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) blended with natural chitosan (CH) based films and also combined, for the first time, with carvacrol used here as active agent. Morphological and optical characteristics, mechanical response, thermal and migration properties, moisture content and antioxidant and antimicrobial assays were conducted. The morphological, optical and colorimetric results underlined that no particular alterations were induced on the transparency and color of PVA and PVA_CH blend by the presence of CNC and carvacrol, while they were able to modulate the mechanical responses, to induce antioxidant activities maintaining the migration levels below the permitted limits and suggesting the possible application in industrial sectors. Finally, inhibitions on bacterial development were detected for multifunctional systems, suggesting their protective function against microorganisms contamination. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Understanding Poly(vinyl alcohol)-Mediated Ice Recrystallization Inhibition through Ice Adsorption Measurement and pH Effects.

    PubMed

    Burkey, Aaron A; Riley, Christopher L; Wang, Lyndsey K; Hatridge, Taylor A; Lynd, Nathaniel A

    2018-01-08

    The development of improved cryopreservative materials is necessary to enable complete recovery of living cells and tissue after frozen storage. Remarkably, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) displays some of the same cryoprotective properties as many antifreeze proteins found in cold tolerant organisms. In particular, PVA is very effective at halting the Ostwald ripening of ice, a process that mechanically damages cells and tissue. Despite the large practical importance of such a property, the mechanism by which PVA interacts with ice is poorly understood, hindering the development of improved cryoprotective materials. Herein, we quantitatively evaluated ice growth kinetics in the presence of PVA at different pH conditions and in the presence of a range of neutral salts. We demonstrated that pH, but not salt identity, alters the ability of PVA to halt ice grain coarsening. These observations are consistent with hydrogen-bonding playing a crucial role in PVA-mediated ice recrystallization inhibition. The evolution of the size distribution of ice crystals with annealing was consistent with incomplete surface coverage of ice with PVA. Binding assay measurements of dissolved fluorescently labeled PVA in an ice slurry showed that PVA interacts with ice through weak adsorption (<9%) to the ice crystal surface, which stands in contrast to fluorescently tagged type III antifreeze peptide, which binds strongly (ca. 64%) under the same conditions.

  1. Effect of Microwave Non thermal Plasma Irradiation on the Adsorptive Properties of Active Carbon Preliminarily Impregnated with Poly(vinyl alcohol)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ueshima, Masato; Toda, Eriko; Nakajima, Yuki; Sugiyama, Kazuo

    2010-08-01

    Microwave non thermal plasma irradiation was conducted on active carbon (AC) preliminarily impregnated with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) in order to modify the adsorption properties of active carbon, particularly to increase hydrophobicity. The plasma was produced by applying microwave power on the PVA-impregnated active carbon (PVA/AC) placed in a low vacuum chamber (<10 Torr). The surface of the plasma-treated PVA/AC was imaged using scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy (SEM and AFM, respectively), and analyzed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Hydrophobicity of the plasma-treated PVA/AC was compared to that of untreated PVA/AC and AC by a sinking test in water/methanol mixed solutions. The hydrophobicity drastically increased for PVA/AC treatment with 1-min plasma irradiation. The AFM results indicated that the surface roughness of the PVA/AC was dependent upon the hydrophobicity, rather than reduction of free energy due to reduction of polarized functional groups. NaOH and HCl adsorption onto the plasma-treated PVA/AC was also measured. Adsorption capacity of plasma-treated PVA/AC increased for NaOH, whereas it decreased for HCl. The plasma treatment not only increased the hydrophobicity of PVA/AC, but also changed its acid-base adsorption properties. We have developed a new material based on active carbon, which is light, hydrophobic and electrically conductive by using a combination of PVA sintering and plasma irradiation.

  2. Synthesis and characterization of nano TiO2-SiO2: PVA composite - a novel route

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Venckatesh, Rajendran; Balachandaran, Kartha; Sivaraj, Rajeshwari

    2012-07-01

    A novel, simple, less time consuming and cost-effective sol-gel method has been developed to synthesize nano titania-silica with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) composite relatively at low temperature in acidic pH. Titania sol is prepared by hydrolysis of titanium tetrachloride and was mixed with silicic acid and tetrahydrofuran mixture. The reaction was carried out under vigorous stirring for 6 h and dried at room temperature with the addition of PVA solution. The resulting powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), UV-visible spectroscopy and thermal techniques. The grain size of the particles was calculated by X-ray diffraction; surface morphology and chemical composition were determined from scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy; metal oxide stretching was confirmed from FT-IR spectroscopy; bandgap was calculated using UV-visible spectroscopy, and thermal stability of the prepared composite was determined by thermogravimetric/differential thermal analysis. Since TiO2 got agglomerated on the surface of SiO2, effective absorptive sites increase which in turn increase the photocatalytic efficiency of the resulting composite.

  3. Preparation and antibacterial activities of chitosan-gallic acid/polyvinyl alcohol blend film by LED-UV irradiation.

    PubMed

    Yoon, Soon-Do; Kim, Young-Mog; Kim, Boo Il; Je, Jae-Young

    2017-11-01

    Active blend films from chitosan-gallic acid (CGA) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) were prepared via a simple mixing and casting method through the addition of citric acid as a plasticizer. The CGA/PVA blend films were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The mechanical properties including tensile strength (TS) and elongation at break (%E), degree of solubility (S) and swelling behavior (DS), water vapor adsorption, and antimicrobial activities of the CGA/PVA blend films with and without LED (light emitting diode)-UV irradiation were also investigated. The CGA/PVA blend films exposed to UV irradiation exerted a higher TS (43.5MPa) and lower %E (50.40), S (0.38) and DS (2.73) compared to the CGA/PVA blend films (TS=41.7MPa, %E=55.40, S=0.42, and DS=3.16) not exposed LED-UV irradiation, indicating that the cross-linkage between CGA and PVA had been strengthened by LED-UV irradiation. However, the water vapor adsorption in the CGA/PVA blend films increased due to the changes of surface roughness and pore volume after LED-UV irradiation, and all values increased by increasing the CGA concentrations in the CGA/PVA blend films. The antimicrobial activities of the CGA/PVA blend films showed that the efficient concentration of CGA in the CGA/PVA blend films was over 1.0%. Taken together, the CGA/PVA blend films have potential for use as food packing materials. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Characterization and application of zeolitic imidazolate framework-8@polyvinyl alcohol nanofibers mats prepared by electrospinning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fan, Xiaoxiao; Yu, Linling; Li, Lianghao; Yang, Cao; Wen, Junjie; Ye, Xiaokun; Cheng, Jianhua; Hu, Yongyou

    2017-02-01

    In this study, Zeolitic imidazolate framework-8@polyvinyl alcohol (ZIF-8@PVA) nanofibers were creatively fabricated by electrospinning technique, and the nanofibers membranes were characterized by SEM, TEM, XRD, FTIR, TG, DSC, DTA, BET. Its thermal stability, mechanical property, water stability and adsorption nature were also performed. The optimized fabrication parameter of the ZIF-8@PVA was 10 wt% and the uniform diameters of the nanofibers has been obtained. In addition, the ZIF-8@PVA nanofibers displayed unique properties such as a water stable and flexible structure. The adsorption test for Congo red treatment revealed that the nanofibers had a great adsorption performance. The results indicated that the nonwoven fiber mats had a great potential as a new type of membrane adsorbents in wastewater purification. The possible mechanism of CR adsorption onto ZIF-8@PVA was researched.

  5. Morphology and thermal studies of zinc sulfide and cadmium sulfide nanoparticles in polyvinyl alcohol matrix

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Osuntokun, Jejenija; Ajibade, Peter A.

    2016-09-01

    Zn(II) and Cd(II) metal complexes of 1-cyano-1-carboethoxyethylene-2,2-dithiolato-κS,S'-bis(N,N-dimethylthiourea-κS) have been synthesized and characterized with analytical and spectroscopic techniques. The complexes were thermolysed in hexadecylamine at 200 °C to prepare ZnS and CdS nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were characterized with scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and powder X-ray diffraction (p-XRD). TEM images showed spherically shaped nanoparticles, whose sizes are in the range 4.33-7.21 nm for ZnS and 4.95-7.7 nm CdS respectively and XRD confirmed cubic crystalline phases for the nanoparticles. The optical band gap energy evaluated from the absorption spectra are 2.88 eV (430 nm) and 2.81 eV (440 nm) for the ZnS and CdS nanoparticles respectively. The as-prepared metal sulfide nanoparticles were further incorporated into polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to give ZnS/PVA and CdS/PVA composites. The polymer nanocomposites were studied to investigate their morphology and thermal properties relative to the pure PVA. XRD diffractions indicated that the crystalline phases of the nanoparticles and the sizes in PVA matrices remained unaltered. Infra-red spectra studies revealed interactions between the PVA and the metal sulfide nanoparticles and TGA studies show that the ZnS/PVA and CdS/PVA nanocomposites exhibit better thermal stability than the pure PVA.

  6. PCL/PVA nanofibrous scaffold improve insulin-producing cells generation from human induced pluripotent stem cells.

    PubMed

    Abazari, Mohammad Foad; Soleimanifar, Fatemeh; Aleagha, Maryam Nouri; Torabinejad, Sepehr; Nasiri, Navid; Khamisipour, Gholamreza; Mahabadi, Javad Amini; Mahboudi, Hossein; Enderami, Seyed Ehsan; Saburi, Ehsan; Hashemi, Javad; Kehtari, Mousa

    2018-05-31

    Pancreatic differentiation of stem cells will aid treatment of patients with type I diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Synthetic biopolymers utilization provided extracellular matrix (ECM) and desired attributes in vitro to enhance conditions for stem cells proliferation, attachment and differentiation. A mixture of polycaprolactone and polyvinyl alcohol (PCL/PVA)-based scaffold, could establish an in vitro three-dimensional (3D) culture model. The objective of this study was investigation of the human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) differentiation capacity to insulin-producing cells (IPCs) in 3D culture were compared with conventional culture (2D) groups evaluated at the mRNA and protein levels by quantitative PCR and immunofluorescence assay, respectively. The functionality of differentiated IPCs was assessed by C-peptide and insulin release in response to glucose stimulation test. Real-Time PCR results showed that iPSCs-IPCs expressed pancreas-specific transcription factors (Insulin, Pdx1, Glucagon, Glut2 and Ngn3). The expressions of these transcription factors in PCL/PVA scaffold were higher than 2D groups. In addition to IPCs specific markers were detected by immunochemistry. These cells in both groups secreted insulin and C-peptide in a glucose challenge test by ELISA showing in vitro maturation. The results of current study demonstrated that enhanced differentiation of IPCs from hiPSCs could be result of PCL/PVA nanofibrous scaffolds. In conclusion, this research could provide a new approach to beta-like cells replacement therapies and pancreatic tissue engineering for T1DM in the future. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  7. A poly(vinyl alcohol)/sodium alginate blend monolith with nanoscale porous structure

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    A stimuli-responsive poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/sodium alginate (SA) blend monolith with nanoscale porous (mesoporous) structure is successfully fabricated by thermally impacted non-solvent induced phase separation (TINIPS) method. The PVA/SA blend monolith with different SA contents is conveniently fabricated in an aqueous methanol without any templates. The solvent suitable for the fabrication of the present blend monolith by TINIPS is different with that of the PVA monolith. The nanostructural control of the blend monolith is readily achieved by optimizing the fabrication conditions. Brunauer Emmett Teller measurement shows that the obtained blend monolith has a large surface area. Pore size distribution plot for the blend monolith obtained by the non-local density functional theory method reveals the existence of the nanoscale porous structure. Fourier transform infrared analysis reveals the strong interactions between PVA and SA. The pH-responsive property of the blend monolith is investigated on the basis of swelling ratio in different pH solutions. The present blend monolith of biocompatible and biodegradable PVA and SA with nanoscale porous structure has large potential for applications in biomedical and environmental fields. PMID:24093494

  8. A poly(vinyl alcohol)/sodium alginate blend monolith with nanoscale porous structure.

    PubMed

    Sun, Xiaoxia; Uyama, Hiroshi

    2013-10-04

    A stimuli-responsive poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/sodium alginate (SA) blend monolith with nanoscale porous (mesoporous) structure is successfully fabricated by thermally impacted non-solvent induced phase separation (TINIPS) method. The PVA/SA blend monolith with different SA contents is conveniently fabricated in an aqueous methanol without any templates. The solvent suitable for the fabrication of the present blend monolith by TINIPS is different with that of the PVA monolith. The nanostructural control of the blend monolith is readily achieved by optimizing the fabrication conditions. Brunauer Emmett Teller measurement shows that the obtained blend monolith has a large surface area. Pore size distribution plot for the blend monolith obtained by the non-local density functional theory method reveals the existence of the nanoscale porous structure. Fourier transform infrared analysis reveals the strong interactions between PVA and SA. The pH-responsive property of the blend monolith is investigated on the basis of swelling ratio in different pH solutions. The present blend monolith of biocompatible and biodegradable PVA and SA with nanoscale porous structure has large potential for applications in biomedical and environmental fields.

  9. Electrospun nanofibers of poly(vinyl alcohol)reinforced with cellulose nanofibrils

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    In this work, nanofibers of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) reinforced with cellulose nanofibrils (CnF) were produced by electrospinning. The effects of applied voltage, polymer concentration and injection rate, tip-to-collector distance (TCD), rotation speed of the collector, and relative humidity on mor...

  10. Topological and morphological analysis of gamma rays irradiated chitosan-poly (vinyl alcohol) blends using atomic force microscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bhatt, Rinkesh; Bisen, D. S.; Bajpai, R.; Bajpai, A. K.

    2017-04-01

    In the present communication, binary blends of poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and chitosan (CS) were prepared by solution cast method and the roughness parameters of PVA, native CS and CS-PVA blend films were determined using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Moreover, the changes in the morphology of the samples were also investigated after irradiation of gamma rays at absorbed dose of 1 Mrad and 10 Mrad for the scanning areas of 5×5 μm2, 10×10 μm2 and 20×20 μm2. Amplitude, statistical and spatial parameters, including line, 3D and 2D image profiles of the experimental surfaces were examined and compared to un-irradiated samples. For gamma irradiated CS-PVA blends the larger waviness over the surface was found as compared to un-irradiated CS-PVA blends but the values of average roughness for both the films were found almost same. The coefficient of skewness was positive for gamma irradiated CS-PVA blends which revealed the presence of more peaks than valleys on the blend surfaces.

  11. Hydrogel ionotronics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Canhui; Suo, Zhigang

    2018-06-01

    An ionotronic device functions by a hybrid circuit of mobile ions and mobile electrons. Hydrogels are stretchable, transparent, ionic conductors that can transmit electrical signals of high frequency over long distance, enabling ionotronic devices such as artificial muscles, skins and axons. Moreover, ionotronic luminescent devices, ionotronic liquid crystal devices, touchpads, triboelectric generators, artificial eels and gel-elastomer-oil devices can be designed based on hydrogels. In this Review, we discuss first-generation hydrogel ionotronic devices and the challenges associated with the mechanical properties and the chemistry of the materials. We examine how strong and stretchable adhesion between hydrophilic and hydrophobic polymer networks can be achieved, how water can be retained in hydrogels and how to design hydrogels that resist fatigue under cyclic loads. Finally, we highlight applications of hydrogel ionotronic devices and discuss the future of the field.

  12. Effect of polyvinyl alcohol on electrochemically deposited ZnO thin films for DSSC applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Marimuthu, T.; Anandhan, N.

    2017-05-01

    Nanostructures of zinc oxide (ZnO) thin film are electrochemically deposited in the absence and presence of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) on fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns and Raman spectroscopy confirmed the formation of hexagonal structure of ZnO. The film prepared in the presence of PVA showed a better crystallinity and its crystalline growth along the (002) plane orientation. Field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) images display nanowire arrays (NWAs) and sponge like morphology for films prepared in the absence and presence of PVA, respectively. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra depict the film prepared in the presence PVA having less atomic defects with good crystal quality compared with other film. Dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) is constructed using low cost eosin yellow dye and current-voltage (J-V) curve is recorded for optimized sponge like morphology based solar cell.

  13. Fabrication and mechanical characterization of a polyvinyl alcohol sponge for tissue engineering applications.

    PubMed

    Karimi, A; Navidbakhsh, M; Faghihi, S

    2014-05-01

    Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) sponges are widely used for clinical applications, including ophthalmic surgical treatments, wound healing and tissue engineering. There is, however, a lack of sufficient data on the mechanical properties of PVA sponges. In this study, a biomechanical method is used to characterize the elastic modulus, maximum stress and strain as well as the swelling ratio of a fabricated PVA sponge (P-sponge) and it is compared with two commercially available PVA sponges (CENEFOM and EYETEC). The results indicate that the elastic modulus of the P-sponge is 5.32% and 13.45% lower than that of the CENEFOM and EYETEC sponges, while it bears 4.11% more and 10.37% less stress compared to the CENEFOM and EYETEC sponges, respectively. The P-sponge shows a maximum strain of 32% more than the EYETEC sponge as well as a 26.78% higher swelling ratio, which is a significantly higher absorbency compared to the CENEFOM. It is believed that the results of this study would help for a better understanding of the extension, rupture and swelling mechanism of PVA sponges, which could lead to crucial improvement in the design and application of PVA-based materials in ophthalmic and plastic surgeries as well as wound healing and tissue engineering.

  14. Development of hydroxyapatite/polyvinyl alcohol bionanocomposite for prosthesis implants

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Karthik, V.; Pabi, S. K.; Chowdhury, S. K. Roy

    2018-02-01

    Hydroxyapatite (Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2) has similar structural and chemical properties of natural bone mineral and hence widely used as a bone replacement substitute. Natural bone consists of hydroxyapatite and collagen. For mimicking the natural, in the present work, a sintered porous hydroxyapatite component has been vacuum impregnated with Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), which has better properties like biocompatibility, biodegradability and water- solubility. Hydroxyapatite powders have been made into nanosize to reduce the melting point and hence the sintering temperature. In the present investigation high energy ball mill is used to produce nano-hydroxyapatite powders in bulk quantity by optimizing the milling parameters using stainless steel grinding media. Pellets of 10 mm diameter have been produced from nano- hydroxyapatite powders under different uniaxial compaction pressures. The pellets have been sintered to form porous compacts. The vacuum impregnation of sintered pallets with PVA solution of different strength has been done to find the optimum impregnation condition. Microhardness, compressive strength, wear loss and haemocompatibility of hydroxyapatite ceramics have been studied before and after impregnation of PVA. The nano- hydroxyapatite/PVA composites have superior mechanical properties and reduced wear loss than the non-impregnated porous nano-hydroxyapatite ceramics.

  15. An intensive study on the optical, rheological, and electrokinetic properties of polyvinyl alcohol-capped nanogold

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Behera, Manoranjan

    2015-05-01

    Low-temperature-assisted wet chemical synthesis of nanogold (NG) using gold hydroxide, a new precursor salt in the presence of a macroscopic ligand poly(vinyl alcohol) PVA in water in the form of nanofluid, is reported for the first time in this article. In the absorption spectra, the surface Plasmon resonance absorption band in the range of 520-545 nm signifies the formation of NG via a controlled Au3+ + 3e → Au reaction grafted in small assemblies with polymer. Absorption maximum increases nonlinearly with Au-contents up to 100 µM Au in Au-PVA charge-transfer complex. Marked enhancement in the peak intensity of some of the vibration bands of PVA polymer such as C-H stretching, C=O stretching, CH2 bending, and C-C in-plane bending in the presence of NG reveals an interfacial interaction between NG and oxidized PVA via C=O group. Execution of shear thinning behavior regardless of the Au-content strongly suggests that crosslinking exists between NG and PVA in Au-PVA rheo-optical nanofluids. Hydrodynamic diameter and polydispersity index draw a nonlinear path with the Au doping with 30.0 g/L PVA in water over a wide region of 5-100 μM Au covered in this study. Enhancement in the zetapotential of Au-PVA nanofluid over bare PVA in water is ascribed to buildup of nonbonding electrons of "-C=O" moieties from the oxidized PVA on the NG surface. Displaying of lattice fringes in the microscopic image of core-shell Au-PVA nanostructure confirms that crystalline nature of NG core with inter planar spacing 0.235 nm corresponds to Au (111) plane.

  16. Oxidation and Destruction of Polyvinyl Alcohol under the Combined Action of Ozone-Oxygen Mixture and Hydrogen Peroxide

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zimin, Yu. S.; Kutlugil'dina, G. G.; Mustafin, A. G.

    2018-03-01

    The oxidative transformations of a polyvinyl alcohol in aqueous solutions are studied under the simultaneous action of the two oxidizing agents, an ozone-oxygen mixture and a hydrogen peroxide. Effective parameters a and b, which characterize the first and second channels of carboxyl group accumulation, respectively, grow linearly upon an increase in the initial concentration of H2O2. After the temperature dependence of a and b parameters (331-363 K) in a PVA + O3 + O2 + H2O2 + H2O reaction system is studied, the parameters of the activation of COOH group accumulation are found (where PVA is a polyvinyl alcohol). New data on the effect process conditions (length of oxidation, temperature, and hydrogen peroxide concentration) have on the degree of destructive transformations of polyvinyl alcohol in the investigated reaction system are obtained.

  17. Hexavalent chromium removal by using synthesis of polyaniline and polyvinyl alcohol.

    PubMed

    Riahi Samani, Majid; Ebrahimbabaie, Parisa; Vafaei Molamahmood, Hamed

    2016-11-01

    Over the past few years, heavy metals have been proved to be one of the most important contaminants in industrial wastewater. Chromium is one of these heavy metals, which is being utilized in several industries such as textile, finishing and leather industries. Since hexavalent chromium is highly toxic to human health, removal of it from the wastewater is essential for human safety. One of the techniques for removing chromium (VI) is the use of different adsorbents such as polyaniline. In this study, composites of polyaniline (PANi) were synthesized with various amounts of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The results showed that PANi/PVA removed around 76% of chromium at a pH of 6.5; the PVA has altered the morphology of the composites and increased the removal efficiency. Additionally, synthesis of 20 mg/L of PVA by PANi composite showed the best removal efficiency, and the optimal stirring time was calculated as 30 minutes. Moreover, the chromium removal efficiency was increased by decreasing the pH, initial chromium concentration and increasing stirring time.

  18. Neutron spin-echo studies on dynamic and static fluctuations in two types of poly(vinyl alcohol) gels

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kanaya, T.; Takahashi, N.; Nishida, K.

    2005-01-01

    We report neutron spin-echo measurements on two types of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) gels. The first is PVA gel in a mixture of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and water with volume ratio 60/40, and the second is PVA gel in an aqueous borax solution. The observed normalized intermediate scattering functions I(Q,t)/I(Q,0) are very different between them. The former I(Q,t)/I(Q,0) shows a nondecaying component in addition to a fast decay, but the latter does not have the nondecaying one. This clearly indicates that the fluctuations in the former PVA gel consist of static and dynamic fluctuations whereas the latter PVA gel does includemore » only the dynamic fluctuations. The dynamic fluctuations of the former and latter gels have been analyzed in terms of a restricted motion in the network and Zimm motion, respectively, and the origins of these motions will be discussed.« less

  19. Facile fabrication of gold nanoparticles-poly(vinyl alcohol) electrospun water-stable nanofibrous mats: efficient substrate materials for biosensors.

    PubMed

    Wang, Juan; Yao, Hong-Bin; He, Dian; Zhang, Chuan-Ling; Yu, Shu-Hong

    2012-04-01

    Electrospun nanofibrous mats are intensively studied as efficient scaffold materials applied in the fields of tissue engineering, catalysis, and biosensors due to their flexibility and porosity. In this paper, we report a facile route to fabricate gold nanoparticles-poly(vinyl alcohol) (Au NPs-PVA) hybrid water stable nanofibrous mats with tunable densities of Au NPs and further demonstrate the potential application of as-prepared Au NPs-PVA nanofibrous mats as efficient biosensor substrate materials. First, through the designed in situ cross-linkage in coelectrospun PVA-glutaraldehyde nanofibers, water insoluble PVA nanofibrous mats with suitable tensile strength were successfully prepared. Then, 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTES) was modified on the surface of obtained PVA nanofibrous films, which triggered successful homogeneous decoration of Au NPs through gold-sulfur bonding interactions. Finally, the Au NPs-PVA nanofibrous mats embedded with horseradish peroxidase (HRP) by electrostatic interactions were used as biosensor substrate materials for H(2)O(2) detection. The fabricated HRP-Au NPs/PVA biosensor showed a highly sensitive detection of H(2)O(2) with a detection limit of 0.5 μM at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3. By modifying other different functional nanaoparticles or enzyme on the PVA nanofibrous film will further expand their potential applications as substrate materials of different biosensors.

  20. Self-Healing Proton-Exchange Membranes Composed of Nafion-Poly(vinyl alcohol) Complexes for Durable Direct Methanol Fuel Cells.

    PubMed

    Li, Yixuan; Liang, Liang; Liu, Changpeng; Li, Yang; Xing, Wei; Sun, Junqi

    2018-04-30

    Proton-exchange membranes (PEMs) that can heal mechanical damage to restore original functions are important for the fabrication of durable and reliable direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). The fabrication of healable PEMs that exhibit satisfactory mechanical stability, enhanced proton conductivity, and suppressed methanol permeability via hydrogen-bonding complexation between Nafion and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) followed by postmodification with 4-carboxybenzaldehyde (CBA) molecules is presented. Compared with pure Nafion, the CBA/Nafion-PVA membranes exhibit enhanced mechanical properties with an ultimate tensile strength of ≈20.3 MPa and strain of ≈380%. The CBA/Nafion-PVA membrane shows a proton conductivity of 0.11 S cm -1 at 80 °C, which is 1.2-fold higher than that of a Nafion membrane. The incorporated PVA gives the CBA/Nafion-PVA membranes excellent proton conductivity and methanol resistance. The resulting CBA/Nafion-PVA membranes are capable of healing mechanical damage of several tens of micrometers in size and restoring their original proton conductivity and methanol resistance under the working conditions of DMFCs. The healing property originates from the reversibility of hydrogen-bonding interactions between Nafion and CBA-modified PVA and the high chain mobility of Nafion and CBA-modified PVA. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  1. Impact of porous SiC-doped PVA based LDS layer on electrical parameters of Si solar cells

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kaci, S.; Rahmoune, R.; Kezzoula, F.; Boudiaf, Y.; Keffous, A.; Manseri, A.; Menari, H.; Cheraga, H.; Guerbous, L.; Belkacem, Y.; Chalal, R.; Bozetine, I.; Boukezzata, A.; Talbi, L.; Benfadel, K.; Ouadfel, M.-A.; Ouadah, Y.

    2018-06-01

    Nowadays, the advanced photon management is regarded as an area of intensive research investment. Ever since the most widely used commercial photovoltaic cells are fabricated with single gap semiconductors like silicon, photon management has offered opportunities to make better use of the photons, both inside and outside the single junction window. In this study, the impact of new down shifting layer on the photoelectrical parameters of silicon based solar cell was studied. An effort to enhance the photovoltaic performance of textured silicon solar cells through the application of porous SiC particles-doped polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) layers using the spin-coating technique, is reported. Current-voltage curves under artificial illumination were used to confirm the contribution of LDS (SiC-PVA) thin layers. Experiment results revealed that LDS based on SiC particles which were etched in HF/K2S2O8 solution at T = 80 °C under UV light of 254 nm exhibited the best solar cell photoelectrical parameters due to its strong photoluminescence.

  2. Investigation into stability of poly(vinyl alcohol)-based Opadry® II films.

    PubMed

    Koo, Otilia M Y; Fiske, John D; Yang, Haitao; Nikfar, Faranak; Thakur, Ajit; Scheer, Barry; Adams, Monica L

    2011-06-01

    Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)-based formulations are used for pharmaceutical tablet coating with numerous advantages. Our objective is to study the stability of PVA-based coating films in the presence of acidic additives, alkaline additives, and various common impurities typically found in tablet formulations. Opadry® II 85F was used as the model PVA-based coating formulation. The additives and impurities were incorporated into the polymer suspension prior to film casting. Control and test films were analyzed before and after exposure to 40°C/75% relative humidity. Tests included film disintegration, size-exclusion chromatography, thermal analysis, and microscopy. Under stressed conditions, acidic additives (hydrochloric acid (HCl) and ammonium bisulfate (NH(4)HSO(4))) negatively impacted Opadry® II 85F film disintegration while NaOH, formaldehyde, and peroxide did not. Absence of PVA species from the disintegration media corresponded to an increase in crystallinity of PVA for reacted films containing HCl. Films with NH(4)HSO(4) exhibited slower rate of reactivity and less elevation in melting temperature with no clear change in melting enthalpy. Acidic additives posed greater risk of compromise in disintegration of PVA-based coatings than alkaline or common impurities. The mechanism of acid-induced reactivity due to the presence of acidic salts (HCl vs. NH(4)HSO(4)) may be different.

  3. Improvement of Physical and Wound Adhesion Properties of Silk Sericin and Polyvinyl Alcohol Dressing Using Glycerin.

    PubMed

    Aramwit, Pornanong; Ratanavaraporn, Juthamas; Siritientong, Tippawan

    2015-08-01

    This study aimed to use glycerin to improve physical and wound adhesion properties of a wound dressing made of silk sericin and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). Glycerin of a natural-derived plasticizer was used to modify the properties of silk sericin/PVA scaffolds. Various concentrations of glycerin were mixed with silk sericin and PVA and then fabricated into the scaffolds by a freeze-drying technique. The control study was performed to examine the properties of the silk sericin/PVA scaffolds with and without glycerin. Physical, mechanical, wound adhesion properties, the release profile of silk sericin, and in vivo safety of the silk sericin/PVA scaffolds with and without glycerin were investigated. The silk sericin/PVA scaffolds with glycerin exhibited more homogenous structure, less compressive modulus, higher Young modulus and elongation percentage, and a higher degree of crosslinking compared with the scaffold without glycerin. The silk sericin/PVA scaffold with 2% wt/vol glycerin showed more controlled release of silk sericin than the other scaffolds. The sustained release of silk sericin from the scaffold with glycerin would be advantageous for long-term healing of wounds. The silk sericin/PVA scaffold with 2% (wt/vol) glycerin was less adhesive to the wound compared with the scaffold without glycerin. Furthermore, the implantation of silk sericin/PVA scaffolds with 2% (wt/vol) glycerin did not cause any irritation to the tissue. The silk sericin/PVA scaffolds with glycerin were introduced as a biocompatible, more flexible, and less adhesive wound dressing than the scaffold without glycerin.

  4. Formulation and evaluation of microemulsion-based hydrogel for topical delivery.

    PubMed

    Sabale, Vidya; Vora, Sejal

    2012-07-01

    The purpose of this study was to develop microemulsion-based hydrogel formulation for topical delivery of bifonazole with an objective to increase the solubility and skin permeability of the drug. Oleic acid was screened as the oil phase of microemulsions, due to a good solubilizing capacity of the microemulison systems. The pseudo-ternary phase diagrams for microemulsion regions were constructed using oleic acid as the oil, Tween 80 as the surfactant and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) as the cosurfactant. Various microemulsion formulations were prepared and optimized by 3(2) factorial design on the basis of percentage (%) transmittance, globule size, zeta potential, drug release, and skin permeability. The abilities of various microemulsions to deliver bifonazole through the skin were evaluated ex vivo using Franz diffusion cells fitted with rat skins. The Hydroxy Propyl Methyl Cellulose (HPMC) K100 M as a gel matrix was used to construct the microemulsion-based hydrogel for improving the viscosity of microemulsion for topical administration. The optimized microemulsion-based hydrogel was evaluated for viscosity, spreadability, skin irritancy, skin permeability, stability, and antifungal activity by comparing it with marketed bifonazole cream. The mechanism of drug release from microemulsion-based hydrogel was observed to follow zero order kinetics. The studied optimized microemulsion-based hydrogel showed a good stability over the period of 3 months. Average globule size of optimized microemulsion (F5) was found to be 18.98 nm, zeta potential was found to be -5.56 mv, and permeability of drug from microemulsion within 8 h was observed 84%. The antifungal activity of microemulsion-based hydrogel was found to be comparable with marketed cream. The results indicate that the studied microemulsion-based hydrogel (F5) has a potential for sustained action of drug release and it may act as promising vehicle for topical delivery of ibuprofen.

  5. Formulation and evaluation of microemulsion-based hydrogel for topical delivery

    PubMed Central

    Sabale, Vidya; Vora, Sejal

    2012-01-01

    Background: The purpose of this study was to develop microemulsion-based hydrogel formulation for topical delivery of bifonazole with an objective to increase the solubility and skin permeability of the drug. Materials and Methods: Oleic acid was screened as the oil phase of microemulsions, due to a good solubilizing capacity of the microemulison systems. The pseudo-ternary phase diagrams for microemulsion regions were constructed using oleic acid as the oil, Tween 80 as the surfactant and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) as the cosurfactant. Various microemulsion formulations were prepared and optimized by 32 factorial design on the basis of percentage (%) transmittance, globule size, zeta potential, drug release, and skin permeability. The abilities of various microemulsions to deliver bifonazole through the skin were evaluated ex vivo using Franz diffusion cells fitted with rat skins. The Hydroxy Propyl Methyl Cellulose (HPMC) K100 M as a gel matrix was used to construct the microemulsion-based hydrogel for improving the viscosity of microemulsion for topical administration. The optimized microemulsion-based hydrogel was evaluated for viscosity, spreadability, skin irritancy, skin permeability, stability, and antifungal activity by comparing it with marketed bifonazole cream. Results: The mechanism of drug release from microemulsion-based hydrogel was observed to follow zero order kinetics. The studied optimized microemulsion-based hydrogel showed a good stability over the period of 3 months. Average globule size of optimized microemulsion (F5) was found to be 18.98 nm, zeta potential was found to be -5.56 mv, and permeability of drug from microemulsion within 8 h was observed 84%. The antifungal activity of microemulsion-based hydrogel was found to be comparable with marketed cream. Conclusion: The results indicate that the studied microemulsion-based hydrogel (F5) has a potential for sustained action of drug release and it may act as promising vehicle for topical

  6. Evaluation of polyvinyl alcohols as mucoadhesive polymers for mucoadhesive buccal tablets prepared by direct compression.

    PubMed

    Ikeuchi-Takahashi, Yuri; Ishihara, Chizuko; Onishi, Hiraku

    2017-09-01

    The purpose of the present work was to evaluate polyvinyl alcohols (PVAs) as a mucoadhesive polymer for mucoadhesive buccal tablets prepared by direct compression. Various polymerization degree and particle diameter PVAs were investigated for their usability. The tensile strength, in vitro adhesive force, and water absorption properties of the tablets were determined to compare the various PVAs. The highest values of the tensile strength and the in vitro adhesive force were observed for PVAs with a medium viscosity and small particle size. The optimal PVA was identified by a factorial design analysis. Mucoadhesive tablets containing the optimal PVA were compared with carboxyvinyl polymer and hydroxypropyl cellulose formulations. The optimal PVA gives a high adhesive force, has a low viscosity, and resulted in relatively rapid drug release. Formulations containing carboxyvinyl polymer had high tensile strengths but short disintegration times. Higher hydroxypropyl cellulose concentration formulations had good adhesion forces and very long disintegration times. We identified the optimal characteristics of PVA, and the usefulness of mucoadhesive buccal tablets containing this PVA was suggested from their formulation properties.

  7. Fabrication of antibacterial blend film from poly (vinyl alcohol) and quaternized chitosan for packaging

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hu, Dongying; Wang, Lijuan, E-mail: donglinwlj@163.com

    Highlights: • HTCC/PVA blend films were prepared through a simple mixing method. • The blend films had greater elongation at break and good optical transmittance. • The blend films had low oxygen permeability and water vapor permeability. • The films had good activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. - Abstract: Blend films from poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) containing N-(2-hydroxy) propyl-3-trimethyl ammonium chloride chitosan (HTCC) were prepared via a simple mixing and casting method. The films were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction measurements (XRD), scanning electron microscopy and ultraviolet-visible measurements (UV–vis). The effects of HTCC amountmore » on mechanical properties, oxygen permeability, water vapor permeation, and antibacterial properties against Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) and Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) of the films were investigated. FTIR and XRD analysis show that HTCC and PVA in the blend films interacted by hydrogen bonding. SEM and UV–vis analysis reveal the good compatibility between HTCC and PVA. Compared with pure PVA film, the blend films had greater elongation at break, lower water permeability, and higher antibacterial activity. The HTCC addition decreased the tensile strength and the light transmittance. The results suggest that HTCC/PVA blend films have a potential as packaging materials.« less

  8. Single-layer graphene-assembled 3D porous carbon composites with PVA and Fe₃O₄ nano-fillers: an interface-mediated superior dielectric and EMI shielding performance.

    PubMed

    Rao, B V Bhaskara; Yadav, Prasad; Aepuru, Radhamanohar; Panda, H S; Ogale, Satishchandra; Kale, S N

    2015-07-28

    In this study, a novel composite of Fe3O4 nanofiller-decorated single-layer graphene-assembled porous carbon (SLGAPC) with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) having flexibility and a density of 0.75 g cm(-3) is explored for its dielectric and electromagnetic interference (EMI) response properties. The composite is prepared by the solution casting method and its constituents are optimized as 15 wt% SLGAPC and 20 wt% Fe3O4 through a novel solvent relaxation nuclear magnetic resonance experiment. The PVA-SLGAPC-Fe3O4 composite shows high dielectric permittivity in the range of 1 Hz-10 MHz, enhanced by a factor of 4 as compared to that of the PVA-SLGAPC composite, with a reduced loss by a factor of 2. The temperature dependent dielectric properties reveal the activation energy behaviour with reference to the glass transition temperature (80 °C) of PVA. The dielectric hysteresis with the temperature cycle reveals a remnant polarization. The enhanced dielectric properties are suggested to be the result of improvement in the localized polarization of the integrated interface system (Maxwell-Wagner-Sillars (MWS) polarization) formed by the uniform adsorption of Fe3O4 on the surface of SLGAPC conjugated with PVA. The EMI shielding property of the composite with a low thickness of 0.3 mm in the X-band (8.2-12.4 GHz) shows a very impressive shielding efficiency of ∼15 dB and a specific shielding effectiveness of 20 dB (g cm(-3))(-1), indicating the promising character of this material for flexible EMI shielding applications.

  9. Preparation of a Nanoscaled Poly(vinyl alcohol)/Hydroxyapatite/DNA Complex Using High Hydrostatic Pressure Technology for In Vitro and In Vivo Gene Delivery.

    PubMed

    Kimura, Tsuyoshi; Nibe, Yoichi; Funamoto, Seiichi; Okada, Masahiro; Furuzono, Tsutomu; Ono, Tsutomu; Yoshizawa, Hidekazu; Fujisato, Toshiya; Nam, Kwangwoo; Kishida, Akio

    2011-01-01

    Our previous research showed that poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) nanoparticles incorporating DNA with hydrogen bonds obtained by high hydrostatic pressurization are able to deliver DNA without any significant cytotoxicity. To enhance transfection efficiency of PVA/DNA nanoparticles, we describe a novel method to prepare PVA/DNA nanoparticles encapsulating nanoscaled hydroxyapatites (HAps) prepared by high hydrostatic pressurization (980 MPa), which is designed to facilitate endosomal escape induced by dissolving HAps in an endosome. Scanning electron microscopic observation and dynamic light scattering measurement revealed that HAps were significantly encapsulated in PVA/HAp/DNA nanoparticles. The cytotoxicity, cellular uptake, and transgene expression of PVA/HAp/DNA nanoparticles were investigated using COS-7 cells. It was found that, in contrast to PVA/DNA nanoparticles, their internalization and transgene expression increased without cytotoxicity occurring. Furthermore, a similar level of transgene expression between plasmid DNA and PVA/HAp/DNA nanoparticles was achieved using in vivo hydrodynamic injection. Our results show a novel method of preparing PVA/DNA nanoparticles encapsulating HAp nano-crystals by using high hydrostatic pressure technology and the potential use of HAps as an enhancer of the transfection efficiency of PVA/DNA nanoparticles without significant cytotoxicity.

  10. Fiber optic humidity sensor based on the graphene oxide/PVA composite film

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Youqing; Shen, Changyu; Lou, Weimin; Shentu, Fengying

    2016-08-01

    Fiber optic humidity sensor based on an in-fiber Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) coated with graphene oxide (GO)/PVA composite film was investigated. The MZI is constructed of two waist-enlarged tapers. The length between two waist-enlarged tapers is 20 mm. By comparing the experiment results of MZI coated with different GO/PVA composite films, composite film formed by the ratio of 0.3 g PVA mixed with 10 ml GO dispersion shows a better performance of relative humidity sensing. By using the molecular structure model of the composited GO/PVA, the operation mechanism between GO/PVA composite film and water molecules was illustrated. The sensitivity of 0.193 dB/%RH with a linear correlation coefficient of 99.1% and good stability under the relative humidity range of 25-80% was obtained. Temperature effect on the proposed fiber optic humidity sensor was also considered and analyzed. According to the repetitive experimental results, the proposed humidity sensor shows a good repeatability.

  11. Preparation of silver-hydroyapatite/PVA nanocomposites: Giant dielectric material for industrial and clinical applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Uddin, Md Jamal; Middya, T. R.; Chaudhuri, B. K.

    2015-02-01

    Pure hydroxyappatite Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2 (or HAP) was prepared from eggshell and potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KH2PO4) by a simple self-chemical reaction method. The clean eggshell was heated at 800 °C in air giving the source of CaO. Appropriate amount of CaO was dissolved in KH2PO4 solution at 37°C for few days. The PH value decreases with increasing the duration of preparation of HAP. Silver nanoparticles derived from silver nitrate solution using black tea leaf extract had been introduced to hydroxyapatite due to its biocompatibility. The unique size- dependent properties of nanomaterials make them superior and indispensable. In this work, hydroxyapatite-silver nanoparticles/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) composites with 4 different concentrations of hydroxyapatite (1-4 wt %) were prepared by bio-reduction method. Several techniques like XRD and SEM were used to characterize the prepared samples. Frequency dependent capacitance and conductance of the samples were measured using an impedance analyzer. The results showed a remarkable increase in dielectric permittivity (~5117) with low loss (~0.23) at1000 HZ and room temperature (300K) for 4wt% Hydroxapatie-Silver/PVA nanocomposite. Such nanocomposite might be directly applied in manufacturing clinical devices and also for embedding capacitor applications.

  12. Development of composite membranes of PVA-TEOS doped KOH for alkaline membrane fuel cell

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Haryadi, Sugianto, D.; Ristopan, E.

    2015-12-01

    Anion exchange membranes (AEMs) play an important role in separating fuel and oxygen (or air) in the Alkaline Membrane Fuel Cells. Preparation of hybrid organic inorganic materials of Polyvinylalcohol (PVA) - Tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) composite membrane doped KOH for direct alcohol alkaline fuel cell application has been investigated. The sol-gel method has been used to prepare the composite membrane of PVA-TEOS through crosslinking step and catalyzed by concentrated of hydrochloric acid. The gel solution was cast on the membrane plastic plate to obtain membrane sheets. The dry membranes were then doped by immersing in various concentrations of KOH solutions for about 4 hours. Investigations of the cross-linking process and the presence of hydroxyl group were conducted by FTIR as shown for frequency at about 1600 cm-1 and 3300 cm-1 respectively. The degree of swelling in ethanol decreased as the KOH concentration for membrane soaking process increased. The ion exchange capacity (IEC) of the membrane was 0.25meq/g. This composite membranes display significant ionic conductivity of 3.23 x 10-2 S/cm in deionized water at room temperature. In addition, the morphology observation by scanning electron microscope (SEM) of the membrane indicates that soaking process of membrane in KOH increased thermal resistant.

  13. Studies on the Electrical Properties of Graphene Oxide-Reinforced Poly (4-Styrene Sulfonic Acid) and Polyvinyl Alcohol Blend Composites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Deshmukh, Kalim; Sankaran, Sowmya; Basheer Ahamed, M.; Khadheer Pasha, S. K.; Sadasivuni, Kishor Kumar; Ponnamma, Deepalekshmi; Al-Ali Almaadeed, Mariam; Chidambaram, K.

    In the present study, graphene oxide (GO)-reinforced poly (4-styrenesulfonic acid) (PSSA)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) blend composite films were prepared using colloidal blending technique at various concentrations of GO (0-3wt.%). The morphological investigations of the prepared composites were carried out using polarized optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The electrical properties of composites were evaluated using an impedance analyzer in the frequency range 50Hz to 20MHz and temperature in the range 40-150∘C. Morphological studies infer that GO was homogeneously dispersed in the PSSA/PVA blend matrix. Investigations of electrical property indicate that the incorporation of GO into PSSA/PVA blend matrix resulted in the enhancement of the impedance (Z) and the quality factor (Q-factor) values. A maximum impedance of about 4.32×106Ω was observed at 50Hz and 90∘C for PSSA/PVA/GO composites with 3wt.% GO loading. The Q-factor also increased from 8.37 for PSSA/PVA blend to 59.8 for PSSA/PVA/GO composites with 3wt.% GO loading. These results indicate that PSSA/PVA/GO composites can be used for high-Q capacitor applications.

  14. Chromaticity and color saturation of ultraviolet irradiated poly(vinyl alcohol)-anthocyanin coatings

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mat Nor, N. A.; Aziz, N.; Mohd-Adnan, A. F.; Taha, R. M.; Arof, A. K.

    2016-06-01

    The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the chromaticity and color saturation of anthocyanin extraction from fruit pericarps of Ixora siamensis in a poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) matrix. The colored PVA matrix was exposed to UV-B irradiation for 93 days at UV intensity of 17.55 lux. Anthocyanin colorant has been extracted using methanol acidified with 0.5% trifluoroacetic acid (TFA). Different concentrations of ferulic acid (FA) (0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 wt.%) have been added to the anthocyanin extractions before mixing with PVA to form a coating system. The PVA-anthocyanin-FA mixtures have been coated on glass slides and kept overnight in the dark for curing before exposure to UV-B irradiation. The FA-free sample undergoes more color degradation compared to samples containing FA. The coating with 2% FA has the most stable color with chromaticity of 41% and color saturation of 0.88 compared to other FA containing coats. The FA-free coat exhibits 29% chromaticity and color saturation of 0.38 at the end of the experiment.

  15. Investigation of polypyrrole/polyvinyl alcohol-titanium dioxide composite films for photo-catalytic applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cao, Shaoqiang; Zhang, Hongyang; Song, Yuanqing; Zhang, Jianling; Yang, Haigang; Jiang, Long; Dan, Yi

    2015-07-01

    Polypyrrole/polyvinyl alcohol-titanium dioxide (PPy/PVA-TiO2) composite films used as photo-catalysts were fabricated by combining TiO2 sol with PPy/PVA solution in which PPy was synthesized by in situ polymerization of pyrrole (Py) in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) matrix and loaded on glass. The prepared photo-catalysts were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflection spectroscopy (UV-vis DRS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra and photoluminescence (PL). The results indicate that the composites have same crystal structure as the TiO2 and extend the optic absorption from UV region to visible light region. By detecting the variation ratio, detected by ultraviolet-vis spectroscopy, of model pollutant rhodamine B (RhB) solution in the presence of the composite films under both UV and visible light irradiation, the photo-catalytic performance of the composite films was investigated. The results show that the PPy/PVA-TiO2 composite films show better photo-catalytic properties than TiO2 film both under UV and visible light irradiation, and the photo-catalytic degradation of RhB follows the first-order kinetics. The effects of the composition of composite films and the concentration of RhB on the photo-catalytic performance, as well as the possible photo-catalytic mechanism, were also discussed. By photo-catalytic recycle experiments, the structure stability of the PPy/PVA-TiO2 composite film was investigated and the results show that the photo-catalytic activity under both UV and visible light irradiation have no significant decrease after four times of recycle experiments, suggesting that the photo-catalyst film is stable during the photo-catalytic process, which was also confirmed by the XRD pattern and FT-IR spectra of the composite film before and after photo-catalytic.

  16. Alkaline direct ethanol fuel cell performance using alkali-impregnated polyvinyl alcohol/functionalized carbon nano-tube solid electrolytes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Huang, Chien-Yi; Lin, Jia-Shiun; Pan, Wen-Han; Shih, Chao-Ming; Liu, Ying-Ling; Lue, Shingjiang Jessie

    2016-01-01

    This study investigates the application of a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/functionalized carbon nano-tubes (m-CNTs) composite in alkaline direct ethanol fuel cells (ADEFC). The m-CNTs are functionalized with PVA using the ozone mediation method, and the PVA composite containing the modified CNTs is prepared. Adding m-CNT into the PVA matrix enhances the alkaline uptake and the ionic conductivity of the KOH-doped electrolyte. Meanwhile, the m-CNT-containing membrane exhibited a lower swelling ratio and suppressed ethanol permeability compared to the pristine PVA film. The optimal condition for the ADEFC is determined to be under operation at an anode feed of 3 M ethanol in a 5 M KOH solution (at a flow rate of 5 cm3 min-1) with a cathode feed of moisturized oxygen (with a flow rate of 100 cm3 min-1) and the KOH-doped PVA/m-CNT electrolyte. We achieved a peak power density value of 65 mW cm-2 at 60 °C, which is the highest among the ADEFC literature data and several times higher than the proton-exchange direct ethanol fuel cells using sulfonated membrane electrolytes. Therefore, the KOH-doped PVA/m-CNT electrolyte is a suitable solid electrolyte for ADEFCs and has potential for commercialization in alkaline fuel cell applications.

  17. Electricity production and benzene removal from groundwater using low-cost mini tubular microbial fuel cells in a monitoring well.

    PubMed

    Chang, Shih-Hsien; Wu, Chih-Hung; Wang, Ruei-Cyun; Lin, Chi-Wen

    2017-05-15

    A low-cost mini tubular microbial fuel cell (MFC) was developed for treating groundwater that contained benzene in monitoring wells. Experimental results indicate that increasing the length and density, and reducing the size of the char particles in the anode effectively reduced the internal resistance. Additionally, a thinner polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel separator and PVA with a higher molecular weight improved electricity generation. The optimal parameters for the MFC were an anode density of 1.22 g cm -3 , a coke of 150 μm, an anode length of 6 cm, a PVA of 105,600 g mol -1 , and a separator thickness of 1 cm. Results of continuous-flow experiments reveal that the increasing the sets of MFCs and connecting them in parallel markedly improved the degradation of benzene. More than 95% of benzene was removed and electricity of 38 mW m -2 was generated. The MFC ran continuously up to 120 days without maintenance. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Optical and morphological characterizations of pyronin dye-poly (vinyl alcohol) thin films formed on glass substrates

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Meral, Kadem, E-mail: kademm@atauni.edu.tr; Arik, Mustafa, E-mail: marik@tatauni.edu.tr; Onganer, Yavuz, E-mail: yonganer@atauni.edu.tr

    Thin films of pyronin dye mixed with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) on glass substrate were prepared by using spin-coating technique. The optical and morphological properties of the thin films were studied by UV-Vis., steady-state fluorescence spectroscopies and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The thin films on glass substrate were fabricated at various [PVA]/[dye] (P/D) ratios. Hence, the monomeric and H-aggregates thin films of pyronin dye mixed with PVA were formed as a function of the dye and PVA concentration. It was determined that while the monomeric thin films showed strong fluorescence, the formation of H-aggregates in the thin film caused to decreasingmore » the fluorescence intensity. AFM studies demonstrated that the morphology of the thin film was drastically varied with changing the optical property of the thin film such as monomeric and H-aggregates thin films.« less

  19. Microstructure and molecular interaction in glycerol plasticized chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol) blending films

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/chitosan (CS) blended films plasticized by glycerol were investigated using mechanical testing, atomic force microscopy (AFM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and FTIR spectroscopy, with primary emphasis on the effects of the glycerol content and the molecular weig...

  20. A Review of the Development of a Vehicle for Localized and Controlled Drug Delivery for Implantable Biosensors

    PubMed Central

    Bhardwaj, Upkar; Papadimitrakopoulos, Fotios; Burgess, Diane J.

    2008-01-01

    A major obstacle to the development of implantable biosensors is the foreign body response (FBR) that results from tissue trauma during implantation and the continuous presence of the implant in the body. The in vivo stability and functionality of biosensors are compromised by damage to sensor components and decreased analyte transport to the sensor. This paper summarizes research undertaken by our group since 2001 to control the FBR toward implanted sensors. Localized and sustained delivery of the anti-inflammatory drug, dexamethasone, and the angiogenic growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), was utilized to inhibit inflammation as well as fibrosis and provide a stable tissue–device interface without producing systemic adverse effects. The drug-loaded polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) microspheres were embedded in a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel composite to fabricate a drug-eluting, permeable external coating for implantable devices. The composites were fabricated using the freeze–thaw cycle method and had mechanical properties similar to soft body tissue. Dexamethasone-loaded microsphere/hydrogel composites were able to provide anti-inflammatory protection, preventing the FBR. Moreover, concurrent release of dexamethasone with VEGF induced neoangiogenesis in addition to providing anti-inflammatory protection. Sustained release of dexamethasone is required for the entire sensor lifetime, as a delayed inflammatory response developed after depletion of the drug from the composites. These studies have shown the potential of PLGA microsphere/PVA hydrogel-based composites as drug-eluting external coatings for implantable biosensors. PMID:19885291

  1. pH-sensitive wax emulsion copolymerization with acrylamide hydrogel using gamma irradiation for dye removal

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ghobashy, Mohamed Mohamady; Elhady, Mohamed., A.

    2017-05-01

    Emulsion polymerization is an efficient method for the production of new wax-hydrogel matrices of cetyl alcohol: stearic acid wax and acrylamide hydrogel using triethylamine (TEA) as an emulsifier. A cross-linking reaction occurred when a mixture of wax-hydrogel solution was irradiated with gamma rays at a dose of 20 kGy. The gelation percentage of the matrices (CtOH-StA/PAAm) was 86%, which indicates that a sufficiently high conversion occurred in these new wax-hydrogel matrices. The ability of PAAm and CtOH-StA/PAAm as an adsorbent for dye removal was investigated. The removal of three reactive dyes, namely Remazol Red (RR), Amido Black (AB), and Toluidine Blue (TB), from aqueous solutions depends on the pH of the dye solution. Removal efficiency was investigated by UV spectrophotometry, and the results showed the affinity of the wax hydrogel to adsorb TB was 98% after 320 min. Fourier transform infrared-attenuated total reflectance spectra confirmed the cross-linking process involved between the chains of wax and hydrogel; furthermore, scanning electron microscopy images showed that the wax and hydrogel were completely miscible to form a single matrix. Swelling measurements showed the high affinity of adsorbed dyes from aqueous solutions at different pH values to the wax-hydrogel network; the highest swelling values of 13.05 and 8.24 (g/g) were observed at pH 10 and 6, respectively

  2. Investigation of hydrogel membranes containing combination of gentamicin and dexamethasone for ocular delivery

    PubMed Central

    Prabhu, Prabhakara; Dubey, Akhilesh; Parth, Vinod; Ghate, Vivek

    2015-01-01

    Background: Hydrogel is a cross-linked network of polymers. Water penetrates these network causing swelling and giving the hydrogel a soft and rubbery consistency and there by maintaining the integrity of the membrane. Due to the drawback of conventional therapy for ocular delivery, hydrogel membranes containing the combination of gentamicin (GT) sulfate and dexamethasone (DX) were formulated for the treatment of conjunctivitis. The objective of this study was to formulate and evaluate the hydrogel membranes containing the combination of GT and DX for the treatment of conjunctivitis. Materials and Methods: In the present investigation, hydrogel membranes were prepared by using polymers such as gelatin, polyvinyl alcohol, and chitosan, which were cross-linked using physical/chemical methods. Results: The cross-linking of the membranes was confirmed by Fourier transform infra-red studies. The pH of the membranes ranged from 7.19 to 7.45 and drug content ranged from 69.82% to 89.19%. The hydrogels showed a considerably good swelling ratio ranging from 22.5% to 365.56%. The in vitro drug release study showed that there was a slow and sustained release of the drug from the membranes which were sufficiently cross-linked and followed zero order release. In vivo studies showed that the severity of conjunctivitis was remarkably lowered at day 3 with hydrogel membrane compared to marketed eye drops. Results of unpaired t-test of significance between two groups indicated that the hydrogel membrane showed a better response in the treatment of conjunctivitis compared to the marketed products. Stability studies proved that the formulations could be stable when stored at room temperature. Conclusion: Results of the study indicated that it is possible to develop a safe and physiologically effective hydrogels which are patient compliant. PMID:26682192

  3. Dynamic properties of hydrogels and fiber-reinforced hydrogels.

    PubMed

    Martin, Nicholas; Youssef, George

    2018-06-07

    Hydrophilic polymers, or hydrogels, are used for a wide variety of biomedical applications, due to their inherent ability to withhold a high-water content. In recent years, a large effort has been focused on tailoring the mechanical properties of these hydrogels to become more appropriate materials for use as anatomical and physiological structural supports. A few of these such methods include using diverse types of polymers, both natural and synthetic, varying the type of molecular cross-linking, as well as combining these efforts to form interpenetrating polymer network hydrogels. While multiple research groups have characterized these various hydrogels under quasi-static conditions, their dynamic properties, representative of native physiological loading scenarios, have been scarcely reported. In this study, an E-glass fiber reinforced family of alginate/PAAm hydrogels cross-linked by both divalent and trivalent cations are fabricated and investigated. The effect of the reinforcement phase on the dynamic and hydration behaviors is then explicated. Additionally, a micromechanics framework for short cylindrical chopped fibers is utilized to discern the contribution of the matrix and fiber constituents on the hydrogel composite. The addition of E-glass fibers resulted in the storage modulus exhibiting a ~50%, 5%, and ~120%, increase with a mere addition of 2 wt% of the reinforcing fibers to Na-, Sr-, and Al-alginate/PAAm, respectively. In studying the cross-linking effect of various divalent (Ba, Ca, Sr) and trivalent (Al, Fe) cations, it was noteworthy that the hydrogels were found to be effective in dissipating energy while resisting mechanical deformation when they are cross-linked with higher molecular weight elements, regardless of valency. This report on the dynamic properties of these hydrogels will help to improve their optimization for future use in biomedical load-bearing applications. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Effect of Sorbitol Plasticizer on the Structure and Properties of Melt Processed Polyvinyl Alcohol Films.

    PubMed

    Tian, Huafeng; Liu, Di; Yao, Yuanyuan; Ma, Songbai; Zhang, Xing; Xiang, Aimin

    2017-12-01

    Poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) possesses wide applications as food packaging materials, but is difficult to melt process for its strong inter/intra hydrogen bonding. In this work, flexible PVA films with different content of sorbitol plasticizers were prepared by melt processing with the assistance of water. And the influence of sorbitol plasticizer content on the crystallinity, optical transparency, water-retaining capability, mechanical properties, thermal stability and oxygen and water permeability were investigated. The results indicated that sorbitol dramatically improved the melt processing ability of PVA. Sorbitol could interact with PVA to form strong hydrogen bonding interactions, which would decrease the original hydrogen bonding of the matrix, resulting in the decrease of crystallinity degrees. The glass transition, melting and crystallization peak temperatures decreased with the increase of sorbitol. All the films exhibited fine optical transparency. The water retaining capability were improved with the increase of sorbitol. Especially, an increase in elongation at break and decrease in Young's modulus and tensile strength were observed indicating good plasticizing effect of sorbitol on PVA films. In addition, the PVA films prepared in this work exhibited fine barrier properties against oxygen and water, suggesting wide application potential as packaging materials. © 2017 Institute of Food Technologists®.

  5. Morphological comparison of PVA scaffolds obtained by gas foaming and microfluidic foaming techniques.

    PubMed

    Colosi, Cristina; Costantini, Marco; Barbetta, Andrea; Pecci, Raffaella; Bedini, Rossella; Dentini, Mariella

    2013-01-08

    In this article, we have exploited a microfluidic foaming technique for the generation of highly monodisperse gas-in-liquid bubbles as a templating system for scaffolds characterized by an ordered and homogeneous porous texture. An aqueous poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) solution (containing a surfactant) and a gas (argon) are injected simultaneously at constant flow rates in a flow-focusing device (FFD), in which the gas thread breaks up to form monodisperse bubbles. Immediately after its formation, the foam is collected and frozen in liquid nitrogen, freeze-dried, and cross-linked with glutaraldehyde. In order to highlight the superior morphological quality of the obtained porous material, a comparison between this scaffold and another one, also constituted of PVA but obtained with a traditional gas foaming technique, was carried out. Such a comparison has been conducted by analyzing electron microscopy and X-ray microtomographic images of the two samples. It turned out that the microfluidic produced scaffold was characterized by much more uniform porous texture than the gas-foaming one as witnessed by narrower pore size, interconnection, and wall thickness distributions. On the other side, scarce pore interconnectivity, relatively low pore volume, and limited production rate represent, by now, the principal disadvantages of microfluidic foaming as scaffold fabrication method, emphasizing the kind of improvement that this technique needs to undergo.

  6. Crack Healing Performance of PVA-Coated Granules Made of Cement, CSA, and Na₂CO₃ in the Cement Matrix.

    PubMed

    Lee, Yong-Soo; Ryou, Jae-Suk

    2016-07-09

    Various self-healing methods for concrete, such as the use of supplementary cementitious materials, adhesive agents, mineral admixtures, and bacteria, have been suggested to date, and each of these has merits and demerits. Among these, however, the use of cementitious materials may be appropriate due to their good healing efficiency, low cost, and compatibility with the cement matrix. In this study, granulation and coating methods were applied to a new cementitious composite material. The self-healing property of these materials was controlled by the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) coating until cracks were created. Water dissolved the PVA coating after entering through the cracks, and reacted with the healing materials to generate healing products. The self-healing performance was evaluated at various elapsed times through the measurement of the crack widths, visual observation, and examination of the microscopic images. Simultaneously, a water permeability test was performed and the dynamic modulus of elasticity was measured to verify the recovery of the cracks. In addition, the healing products that had been formed in the cracks were analyzed via X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

  7. Programmable hydrogels.

    PubMed

    Wang, Yong

    2018-03-05

    Programmable hydrogels are defined as hydrogels that are able to change their properties and functions periodically, reversibly and/or sequentially on demand. They are different from those responsive hydrogels whose changes are passive or cannot be stopped or reversed once started and vice versa. The purpose of this review is to summarize major progress in developing programmable hydrogels from the viewpoints of principles, functions and biomedical applications. The principles are first introduced in three categories including biological, chemical and physical stimulation. With the stimulation, programmable hydrogels can undergo functional changes in dimension, mechanical support, cell attachment and molecular sequestration, which are introduced in the middle of this review. The last section is focused on the introduction and discussion of four biomedical applications including mechanistic studies in mechanobiology, tissue engineering, cell separation and protein delivery. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Spectroscopic properties of (PVA+ZnO):Mn{sup 2+} polymer films

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Rani, Ch.; Raju, D. Siva; Bindu, S. Hima

    2015-05-15

    Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR), optical absorption and infrared spectral studies have been carried out on Mn{sup 2+} ions doped in poly(vinyl alcohol) complexed with zinc oxide polymer films prepared by solution cast technique. The EPR spectra of 1 mol% Mn{sup 2+} ions doped polymer complex (PVA+ZnO) at room temperature exhibit sextet hyperfine structure (hfs), centered at 2.01. The spin-Hamiltonian parameter values indicate that the ground state of Mn{sup 2+} ion in d{sup 5} and the site symmetry around Mn{sup 2+} ions in tetragonally distorted octa hedral site. The optical absorption spectra exhibits two bands centered at 275nm at 437nm. Themore » FTIR spectrum exhibits bands characteristic of stretching and banding vibrations of O-H, C-H and C=C groups.« less

  9. Synthesis, characterization and DC conductivity studies of conducting polyaniline/PVA/Fly ash polymer composites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Revanasiddappa, M.; Swamy, D. Siddalinga; Vinay, K.; Ravikiran, Y. T.; Raghavendra, S. C.

    2018-05-01

    The present work is an investigation of dc conduction behaviour of conducting polyaniline/fly ash nano particles blended in polyvinyl Alcohol (PANI/PVA/FA) synthesized via in-situ polymerization technique using (NH4)2S2O8 as an oxidising agent with varying fly ash cenosphere by 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 wt%. The structural characterization of the synthesised polymer composites was examined using FT-IR, XRD and SEM techniques. Dc conductivity as a function of temperature has been measured in the temperature range from 302K - 443K. The increase of conductivity with increasing temperature reveals semiconducting behaviour of the composites and shows an evidence for the transport properties of the composites.

  10. Photodegradation of methylene blue with PVA/PVP blend under UV light irradiation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zidan, H. M.; El-Ghamaz, N. A.; Abdelghany, A. M.; Waly, A. L.

    2018-06-01

    Homogenous films of PVA/PVP blend (1:1) doped with different levels of methylene blue dye (MB) were prepared using the casting technique. The absorption spectra of doped PVA/PVP blend showed two absorption peaks due to the chromophor groups of MB while the pure PVA/PVP blend does not. The UV irradiation causes photodegradation of MB dye. The recovery of photodegraded MB is observed after keeping the sample 3 h in atmospheric air. The value of the optical energy gap (Eg) decreases with increasing the doping levels with MB. The spectral distribution of absorption index (k) and refractive index (n) are determined from the reflection and transmission spectra in the spectral range 200-2500 nm. The dependence of both n and k on wavelength of the incident light and the wt% content of MB in PVA/PVP blend is discussed. A normal dispersion observed at wavelength λ > 370 nm for pure PVA/PVP blend and λ > 800 nm for MB doped samples. The obtained results suggest the possible use of the studied system in many applications.

  11. Physical characterization of biodegradable films based on chitosan, polyvinyl alcohol and Opuntia mucilage

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    This study aimed to develop and characterize biodegradable films containing mucilage, chitosan and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) in different concentrations. The films were prepared by casting on glass plates using glycerol as plasticizer. Mechanical properties, water vapor and oxygen barrier, as well as ...

  12. Electroluminescence in CdSe/PVA nanocomposites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kumari, Sarita; Ramrakhiani, M.; Khare, P. K.

    2018-05-01

    The synthesis of II-VI nanocrystal into the polymer matrix to form nanocomposites with adjustable nanocrystal is of great interest size is a big challenge to the scientific community. In present work semiconducting CdSe/PVA thin film were synthesized by single step solution method with different concentration of CdSe. The as-prepared products were characterized by UV-Visible absorption spectra and FESEM. Absorption spectra of CdSe/PVA nanocomposites indicated that the position of absorption edge shifts to smaller wavelength by increasing the concentration of CdSe. For Electroluminescence a turn on voltage is required for light emission and brightness increases with voltage. Turn on voltage is found to decrease as CdSe concentration is increased. The voltage-current curve represents ohmic nature for all EL cells.

  13. Effect of electron beam irradiation on the structural properties of poly(vinyl alcohol) formulations with triphenyl tetrazolium chloride dye (TTC)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ali, Z. I.; Said, Hossam M.; Ali, H. E.

    2006-01-01

    Films of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) composites with triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) dye were prepared and exposed to various radiation doses delivered by accelerated electrons. The results showed that at a low dose of 50 kGy, the colour difference (Δ E*) of PVA/TTC films was increased by ˜10 times of the initial value. However, the change in colour differences did not go systematically with increasing the TTC content, in which the composite with 1.5 wt% displayed higher value than that with 3.5 wt%. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) showed that the presence of the TTC dye caused a depression in the melting point ( Tm) and heat of fusion (Δ Hf) of the PVA bulk polymer. However, the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) showed that the presence of the TTC dye improved the thermal stability of PVA. Also, the tensile strength at break of PVA/TTC composites was improved after electron beam irradiation.

  14. Bioinspired design and macroscopic assembly of poly(vinyl alcohol)-coated graphene into kilometers-long fibers.

    PubMed

    Kou, Liang; Gao, Chao

    2013-05-21

    Nacre is characterized by its excellent mechanical performance due to the well-recognized "brick and mortar" structure. Many efforts have been applied to make nacre-mimicking materials, but it is still a big challenge to realize their continuous production. Here, we prepared sandwich-like building blocks of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)-coated graphene, and achieved high-nanofiller-content kilometers-long fibers by continuous wet-spinning assembly technology. The fibers have a strict "brick and mortar" layered structure, with graphene sheet as rigid brick and PVA as soft mortar. The mortar thickness can be precisely tuned from 2.01 to 3.31 nm by the weight feed ratio of PVA to graphene, as demonstrated by both atomic force microscopy and X-ray diffraction measurements. The mechanical strength of the nacre-mimicking fibers increases with increasing the content of PVA, and it rises gradually from 81 MPa for the fiber with 53.1 wt% PVA to 161 MPa for the fiber with 65.8 wt% PVA. The mechanical performance of our fibers was independent of the molecular weight (MW) of PVA in the wide range of 2-100 kDa, indicating that low MW polymers can also be used to make strong nanocomposites. The tensile stress of fibers immersed in PVA 5 wt% solution reached ca. 200 MPa, surpassing the values of nacre and most of other nacre-mimicking materials. The nacre-mimicking fibers are highly electrically conductive (∼350 S m(-1)) after immersing in hydroiodic acid, enabling them to connect a circuit to illuminate an LED lamp.

  15. Poly(vinyl alcohol) stabilization of acrylic emulsion polymers using the miniemulsion approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Noma

    Miniemulsion approach was employed to obtain stable acrylic latexes of n-butyl acrylate and methyl methacrylate (50/50 wt%) stabilized with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and to enhance the grafting reaction between PVA and acrylic monomers at the water/droplet interface. The stability of miniemulsions were studied in terms of the type and concentration of' the stabilizer, and the PVA partitioning were determined as a function of the PVA concentration. Using the comparison of PVA partitioning at droplet surface and grafted PVA as a function of concentration, it was suggested that the water/monomer interface is the main grafting site in the miniemulsion polymerization. Seeded emulsion and miniemulsion copolymerizations initiated with water-soluble (hydrogen peroxide, HPO), partially water-soluble (t-butyl peroxide, TBHP), and oil-soluble (t-butyl peroxyoctoate, TBPO) initiators were carried out to further investigate the oil/water interface as the grafting site for PVA. The interaction between the capillary wall in the CHDF (capillary hydrodynamic fractionation) chromatographic particle sizer and the water-soluble polymers adsorbed on the particle surface was studied using different types of water-soluble polymers and eluants. Different grafting architectures depending on the initiation site were suggested based on the CHDF results. The amounts of grafted PVA produced in miniemulsion polymers initiated with TBHP and TBPO were substantially less than those in the corresponding seeded emulsion polymerizations. The effect on the internal viscosity at the interface was proposed to explain the difference in grafting in terms of polymerization methods. Aqueous phase and interface grafting were studied using the measurement of the degree of hydrolysis (DH) of the serum PVA and adsorbed PVA after miniemulsion polymerizations. Based on the results, it was found that aqueous phase and interface grafting occurred in the HPO system; however, interface grafting dominated the TBHP

  16. Hybrid composite based on poly(vinyl alcohol) and fillers from renewable resources

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Hybrid composite laminates consisting of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as continuous phase (33% by weight) and lignocellulosic fillers, derived from sugarcane bagasse, apple and orange waste (22% by weight) were molded in a carver press in the presence of water and glycerol such as platicizers agents. Cor...

  17. Hydrogel research in Germany: the priority programme, Intelligent Hydrogels

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wallmersperger, Thomas; Sadowski, Gabriele

    2009-03-01

    The priority programme "Intelligent Hydrogels" was established by the German Research Foundation (DFG) in 2006 in order to strengthen the hydrogel-related research in Germany. The programme is being coordinated by Gabriele Sadowski, Technische Universität Dortmund. The aim of this priority programme is to develop new methods for the synthesis and characterization of smart hydrogels and to develop new modelling strategies in order to a) prepare the hydrogels for special applications and/or b) to develop and extend their capabilities for any desired use. In this programme, 73 scientists (36 professors and 37 scientific assistants/PhD students) from all over Germany are involved, working in 23 projects.

  18. Characterization of ferrous-methylthymol blue-polyvinyl alcohol gel dosimeters using nuclear magnetic resonance and optical techniques

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rabaeh, Khalid A.; Eyadeh, Molham M.; Hailat, Tariq F.; Aldweri, Feras M.; Alheet, Samer M.; Eid, Rania M.

    2018-07-01

    A new composition of Ferrous sulphate-Metheylthymol blue (MTB)-Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) dosimeter is introduced in this work and evaluated using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and absorbance spectrophotometry techniques. The Fricke-MTB-PVA dosimeters were irradiated using a medical linear accelerator in a cubic water phantom. The dose response of the dosimeters was investigated using NMR in terms of spin-spin relaxation rate (R2), and ultraviolet and visible regions (UV-Vis) spectrophotometry in terms of absorbance. The dosimeter presents a linear dose response for doses up to 20 Gy with UV-Vis and 40 Gy with NMR method. The sample with 0.1 mM MTB, 5% PVA by weight showed highest dose sensitivity for both techniques. The Fricke-MTB-PVA dosimeter developed in this work has a significant advance over the Fricke-MTB-gelatin system: the NMR sensitivity was remarkably improved; the auto-oxidation rate was seven times lower, and no significant dose rate or photon energy effects were observed.

  19. Synthesis of Degradable Poly(vinyl alcohol) by Radical Ring-Opening Copolymerization and Ice Recrystallization Inhibition Activity.

    PubMed

    Hedir, Guillaume; Stubbs, Christopher; Aston, Phillip; Dove, Andrew P; Gibson, Matthew I

    2017-12-19

    Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) is the most active synthetic mimic of antifreeze proteins and has extremely high ice recrystallization inhibition (IRI) activity. Addition of PVA to cellular cryopreservation solutions increases the number of recovered viable cells due to its potent IRI, but it is intrinsically nondegradable in vivo . Here we report the synthesis, characterization, and IRI activity of PVA containing degradable ester linkages. Vinyl chloroacetate (VClAc) was copolymerized with 2-methylene-1,3-dioxepane (MDO) which undergoes radical ring-opening polymerization to install main-chain ester units. The use of the chloroacetate monomer enabled selective deacetylation with retention of esters within the polymer backbone. Quantitative IRI assays revealed that the MDO content had to be finely tuned to retain IRI activity, with higher loadings (24 mol %) resulting in complete loss of IRI activity. These degradable materials will help translate PVA, which is nontoxic and biocompatible, into a range of biomedical applications.

  20. High performance polymer chemical hydrogel-based electrode binder materials for direct borohydride fuel cells

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Choudhury, Nurul A.; Ma, Jia; Sahai, Yogeshwar; Buchheit, Rudolph G.

    Novel, cost-effective, high-performance, and environment-friendly electrode binders, comprising polyvinyl alcohol chemical hydrogel (PCH) and chitosan chemical hydrogel (CCH), are reported for direct borohydride fuel cells (DBFCs). PCH and CCH binders-based electrodes have been fabricated using a novel, simple, cost-effective, time-effective, and environmentally benign technique. Morphologies and electrochemical performance in DBFCs of the chemical hydrogel binder-based electrodes have been compared with those of Nafion ® binder-based electrodes. Relationships between the performance of binders in DBFCs with structural features of the polymers and the polymer-based chemical hydrogels are discussed. The CCH binder exhibited better performance than a Nafion ® binder whereas the PCH binder exhibited comparable performance to Nafion ® in DBFCs operating at elevated cell temperatures. The better performance of CCH binder at higher operating cell temperatures has been ascribed to the hydrophilic nature and water retention characteristics of chitosan. DBFCs employing CCH binder-based electrodes and a Nafion ®-117 membrane as an electrolyte exhibited a maximum peak power density of about 589 mW cm -2 at 70 °C.

  1. Immobilization of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria by polyvinyl alcohol and sodium alginate.

    PubMed

    Dong, Yuwei; Zhang, Yanqiu; Tu, Baojun

    Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria were immobilized by polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and sodium alginate. The immobilization conditions and ammonia oxidation ability of the immobilized bacteria were investigated. The following immobilization conditions were observed to be optimal: PVA, 12%; sodium alginate, 1.1%; calcium chloride, 1.0%; inoculum concentration, 1.3 immobilized balls/mL of immobilized medium; pH, 10; and temperature, 30°C. The immobilized ammonia-oxidizing bacteria exhibited strong ammonia oxidation ability even after being recycled four times. The ammonia nitrogen removal rate of the immobilized ammonia-oxidizing bacteria reached 90.30% under the optimal immobilization conditions. When compared with ammonia-oxidizing bacteria immobilized by sodium alginate alone, the bacteria immobilized by PVA and sodium alginate were superior with respect to pH resistance, the number of reuses, material cost, heat resistance, and ammonia oxidation ability. Copyright © 2017 Sociedade Brasileira de Microbiologia. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

  2. Electrodialytic Transport Properties of Anion-Exchange Membranes Prepared from Poly(vinyl alcohol) and Poly(vinyl alcohol-co-methacryloyl aminopropyl trimethyl ammonium chloride).

    PubMed

    Jikihara, Atsushi; Ohashi, Reina; Kakihana, Yuriko; Higa, Mitsuru; Kobayashi, Kenichi

    2013-01-02

    Random-type anion-exchange membranes (AEMs) have been prepared by blending poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and the random copolymer-type polycation, poly(vinyl alcohol-co-methacryloyl aminopropyl trimethyl ammonium chloride) at various molar percentages of anion-exchange groups to vinyl alcohol groups, Cpc, and by cross-linking the PVA chains with glutaraldehyde (GA) solution at various GA concentrations, CGA. The characteristics of the random-type AEMs were compared with blend-type AEMs prepared in our previous study. At equal molar percentages of the anion exchange groups, the water content of the random-type AEMs was lower than that of the blend-type AEMs. The effective charge density of the random-type AEMs increased with increasing Cpc and reached a maximum value. Further, the maximum value of the effective charge density increased with increasing CGA. The maximum value of the effective charge density, 0.42 mol/dm3, was obtained for the random-type AEM with Cpc = 4.2 mol % and CGA = 0.15 vol %. A comparison of the random-type and blend-type AEMs with almost the same Cpc showed that the random-type AEMs had lower membrane resistance than the blend-type ones. The membrane resistance and dynamic transport number of the random-type AEM with Cpc = 6.0 mol % and CGA = 0.15 vol % were 4.8 Ω cm2 and 0.83, respectively.

  3. Electrodialytic Transport Properties of Anion-Exchange Membranes Prepared from Poly(vinyl alcohol) and Poly(vinyl alcohol-co-methacryloyl aminopropyl trimethyl ammonium chloride)

    PubMed Central

    Jikihara, Atsushi; Ohashi, Reina; Kakihana, Yuriko; Higa, Mitsuru; Kobayashi, Kenichi

    2012-01-01

    Random-type anion-exchange membranes (AEMs) have been prepared by blending poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and the random copolymer-type polycation, poly(vinyl alcohol-co-methacryloyl aminopropyl trimethyl ammonium chloride) at various molar percentages of anion-exchange groups to vinyl alcohol groups, Cpc, and by cross-linking the PVA chains with glutaraldehyde (GA) solution at various GA concentrations, CGA. The characteristics of the random-type AEMs were compared with blend-type AEMs prepared in our previous study. At equal molar percentages of the anion exchange groups, the water content of the random-type AEMs was lower than that of the blend-type AEMs. The effective charge density of the random-type AEMs increased with increasing Cpc and reached a maximum value. Further, the maximum value of the effective charge density increased with increasing CGA. The maximum value of the effective charge density, 0.42 mol/dm3, was obtained for the random-type AEM with Cpc = 4.2 mol % and CGA = 0.15 vol %. A comparison of the random-type and blend-type AEMs with almost the same Cpc showed that the random-type AEMs had lower membrane resistance than the blend-type ones. The membrane resistance and dynamic transport number of the random-type AEM with Cpc = 6.0 mol % and CGA = 0.15 vol % were 4.8 Ω cm2 and 0.83, respectively. PMID:24958543

  4. γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles filled polyvinyl alcohol as potential biomaterial for tissue engineering scaffold.

    PubMed

    Ngadiman, Nor Hasrul Akhmal; Idris, Ani; Irfan, Muhammad; Kurniawan, Denni; Yusof, Noordin Mohd; Nasiri, Rozita

    2015-09-01

    Maghemite (γ-Fe2O3) nanoparticle with its unique magnetic properties is recently known to enhance the cell growth rate. In this study, γ-Fe2O3 is mixed into polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) matrix and then electrospun to form nanofibers. Design of experiments was used to determine the optimum parameter settings for the electrospinning process so as to produce elctrospun mats with the preferred characteristics such as good morphology, Young's modulus and porosity. The input factors of the electrospinnning process were nanoparticles content (1-5%), voltage (25-35 kV), and flow rate (1-3 ml/h) while the responses considered were Young's modulus and porosity. Empirical models for both responses as a function of the input factors were developed and the optimum input factors setting were determined, and found to be at 5% nanoparticle content, 35 kV voltage, and 1 ml/h volume flow rate. The characteristics and performance of the optimum PVA/γ-Fe2O3 nanofiber mats were compared with those of neat PVA nanofiber mats in terms of morphology, thermal properties, and hydrophilicity. The PVA/γ-Fe2O3 nanofiber mats exhibited higher fiber diameter and surface roughness yet similar thermal properties and hydrophilicity compared to neat PVA PVA/γ-Fe2O3 nanofiber mats. Biocompatibility test by exposing the nanofiber mats with human blood cells was performed. In terms of clotting time, the PVA/γ-Fe2O3 nanofibers exhibited similar behavior with neat PVA. The PVA/γ-Fe2O3 nanofibers also showed higher cells proliferation rate when MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay was done using human skin fibroblast cells. Thus, the PVA/γ-Fe2O3 electrospun nanofibers can be a promising biomaterial for tissue engineering scaffolds. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Preparation and Characterization of Polyvinyl Alcohol-Chitosan Composite Films Reinforced with Cellulose Nanofiber

    PubMed Central

    Choo, Kaiwen; Ching, Yern Chee; Chuah, Cheng Hock; Julai, Sabariah; Liou, Nai-Shang

    2016-01-01

    In this study microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) was oxidized by 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl radical (TEMPO)-mediated oxidation. The treated cellulose slurry was mechanically homogenized to form a transparent dispersion which consisted of individual cellulose nanofibers with uniform widths of 3–4 nm. Bio-nanocomposite films were then prepared from a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-chitosan (CS) polymeric blend with different TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofiber (TOCN) contents (0, 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 wt %) via the solution casting method. The characterizations of pure PVA/CS and PVA/CS/TOCN films were performed in terms of field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), tensile tests, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results from FESEM analysis justified that low loading levels of TOCNs were dispersed uniformly and homogeneously in the PVA-CS blend matrix. The tensile strength and thermal stability of the films were increased with the increased loading levels of TOCNs to a maximum level. The thermal study indicated a slight improvement of the thermal stability upon the reinforcement of TOCNs. As evidenced by the FTIR and XRD, PVA and CS were considered miscible and compatible owing to hydrogen bonding interaction. These analyses also revealed the good dispersion of TOCNs within the PVA/CS polymer matrix. The improved properties due to the reinforcement of TOCNs can be highly beneficial in numerous applications. PMID:28773763

  6. Development of composite membranes of PVA-TEOS doped KOH for alkaline membrane fuel cell

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Haryadi,, E-mail: haryadi@polban.ac.id; Sugianto, D.; Ristopan, E.

    2015-12-29

    Anion exchange membranes (AEMs) play an important role in separating fuel and oxygen (or air) in the Alkaline Membrane Fuel Cells. Preparation of hybrid organic inorganic materials of Polyvinylalcohol (PVA) - Tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) composite membrane doped KOH for direct alcohol alkaline fuel cell application has been investigated. The sol-gel method has been used to prepare the composite membrane of PVA-TEOS through crosslinking step and catalyzed by concentrated of hydrochloric acid. The gel solution was cast on the membrane plastic plate to obtain membrane sheets. The dry membranes were then doped by immersing in various concentrations of KOH solutions for aboutmore » 4 hours. Investigations of the cross-linking process and the presence of hydroxyl group were conducted by FTIR as shown for frequency at about 1600 cm{sup −1} and 3300 cm{sup −1} respectively. The degree of swelling in ethanol decreased as the KOH concentration for membrane soaking process increased. The ion exchange capacity (IEC) of the membrane was 0.25meq/g. This composite membranes display significant ionic conductivity of 3.23 x 10{sup −2} S/cm in deionized water at room temperature. In addition, the morphology observation by scanning electron microscope (SEM) of the membrane indicates that soaking process of membrane in KOH increased thermal resistant.« less

  7. Physicochemical and morphological properties of plasticized poly(vinyl alcohol)-agar biodegradable films.

    PubMed

    Madera-Santana, T J; Freile-Pelegrín, Y; Azamar-Barrios, J A

    2014-08-01

    The effects of the addition of glycerol (GLY) on the physicochemical and morphological properties of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)-agar films were reported. PVA-agar films were prepared by solution cast method, and the addition of GLY in PVA-agar films altered the optical properties, resulting in a decrease in opacity values and in the color difference (ΔE) of the films. Structural characterization using Fourier transformation infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicated that the presence of GLY altered the intensity of the bands (from 1200 to 800cm(-1)) and crystallinity. The characterization of the thermal properties indicated that an increase in the agar content produces a decrease in the melting temperature and augments the heat of fusion. Similar tendencies were observed in plasticized films, but at different magnification. The formulation that demonstrated the lowest mechanical properties contained 25wt.% agar, whereas the formulation that contained 75wt.% agar demonstrated a significant improvement. The water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) and surface morphology analysis demonstrated that the structure of PVA-agar films is reorganized upon GLY addition. The physicochemical properties of PVA-agar films using GLY as a plasticizer provide information for the application of this formulation as packaging material for specific food applications. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Molecular Dynamics at the Interface between Ice and Poly(vinyl alcohol) and Ice Recrystallization Inhibition.

    PubMed

    Weng, Lindong; Stott, Shannon L; Toner, Mehmet

    2018-05-01

    Ice formation is a ubiquitous process that poses serious challenges for many areas. Nature has evolved a variety of different mechanisms to regulate ice formation. For example, many cold-adapted species produce antifreeze proteins (AFPs) and/or antifreeze glycoproteins (AFGPs) to inhibit ice recrystallization. Although several synthetic substitutes for AF(G)Ps have been developed, the fundamental principles of designing AF(G)P mimics are still missing. In this study, we explored the molecular dynamics of ice recrystallization inhibition (IRI) by poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), a well-recognized ice recrystallization inhibitor, to shed light on the otherwise hidden ice-binding mechanisms of chain polymers. Our molecular dynamics simulations revealed a stereoscopic, geometrical match between the hydroxyl groups of PVA and the water molecules of ice, and provided microscopic evidence of the adsorption of PVA to both the basal and prism faces of ice and the incorporation of short-chain PVA into the ice lattice. The length of PVA, i.e., the number of hydroxyl groups, seems to be a key factor dictating the performance of IRI, as the PVA molecule must be large enough to prevent the joining together of adjacent curvatures in the ice front. The findings in this study will help pave the path for addressing a pressing challenge in designing synthetic ice recrystallization inhibitors rationally, by enriching our mechanistic understanding of IRI process by macromolecules.

  9. Introduction to cell–hydrogel mechanosensing

    PubMed Central

    Ahearne, Mark

    2014-01-01

    The development of hydrogel-based biomaterials represents a promising approach to generating new strategies for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. In order to develop more sophisticated cell-seeded hydrogel constructs, it is important to understand how cells mechanically interact with hydrogels. In this paper, we review the mechanisms by which cells remodel hydrogels, the influence that the hydrogel mechanical and structural properties have on cell behaviour and the role of mechanical stimulation in cell-seeded hydrogels. Cell-mediated remodelling of hydrogels is directed by several cellular processes, including adhesion, migration, contraction, degradation and extracellular matrix deposition. Variations in hydrogel stiffness, density, composition, orientation and viscoelastic characteristics all affect cell activity and phenotype. The application of mechanical force on cells encapsulated in hydrogels can also instigate changes in cell behaviour. By improving our understanding of cell–material mechano-interactions in hydrogels, this should enable a new generation of regenerative medical therapies to be developed. PMID:24748951

  10. Fabrication of porous chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol) reinforced single-walled carbon nanotube nanocomposites for neural tissue engineering.

    PubMed

    Shokrgozar, Mohammad Ali; Mottaghitalab, Fatemeh; Mottaghitalab, Vahid; Farokhi, Mehdi

    2011-04-01

    With the ability to form a nano-sized fibrous structure with large pore sizes mimicking the extracellular matrix (ECM), electrospinning was used to fabricate chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol) nanofibers reinforced by single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT-CS/PVA) for potential use in neural tissue engineering. Moreover, ultrasonication was performed to fabricate highly dispersed SWNT/CS solution with 7%, 12%, and 17% SWNT content prior to electrospinning process. In the present study, a number of properties of CS/PVA reinforced SWNTs nanocomposites were evaluated. The in vitro biocompatibility of the electrospun fiber mats was also assessed using human brain-derived cells and U373 cell lines. The results have shown that SWNTs as reinforcing phase can augment the morphology, porosity, and structural properties of CS/PVA nanofiber composites and thus benefit the proliferation rate of both cell types. In addition, the cells exhibit their normal morphology while integrating with surrounding fibers. The results confirmed the potential of SWNT-CS/PVA nanocomposites as scaffold for neural tissue engineering.

  11. Influence of UV and Gamma radiations on the induced birefringence of stretched poly(vinyl) alcohol foils

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nechifor, Cristina-Delia; Zelinschi, Carmen Beatrice; Dorohoi, Dana-Ortansa

    2014-03-01

    The aim of our paper is to evidence the influence of Gamma and UV radiations on the induced birefringence of poly(vinyl alcohol) stretched foils. Thin foils of PVA were prepared and dried without modifying their surfaces. The polymeric foils were irradiated from 15 min to 6 h using UV and Gamma radiations. The induced by stretching under heating birefringence of PVA films was measured at λ = 589.3 nm with a Babinet Compensator. Physico-chemical processes (photo stabilization, photo degradation, oxidation) induced by irradiation of polymer matrix influence both the stretching degree and the anisotropy of etired foils. An increase of birefringence versus the stretching ratio of the PVA foils was evidenced for all studied samples. The dependence of the birefringence on the exposure time, stretching ratio and nature of radiation was also confirmed.

  12. Radiation stability of resveratrol in immobilization on poly vinyl pyrrolidone hydrogel dressing for dermatological use

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Momesso, Roberta G. R. A. P.; Moreno, Carolina S.; Rogero, Sizue O.; Rogero, José R.; Spencer, Patrick J.; Lugão, Ademar B.

    2010-03-01

    The polyphenol trans-resveratrol is a natural phytoalexin, which is found in red wine and in a wide variety of plant species. Resveratrol displays a wide array of biological activities, such as modulation of lipid metabolism, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. This active compound immobilized in polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) hydrogel could be very interesting for topical administration, as a dressing form for dermatological use. However, PVP hydrogel obtained by radiation-induced crosslinking can cause undesirable hydrolysis reactions in the active compound. The aim of this work was to verify the resveratrol stability after irradiation at 0.5 and 1 kGy in the presence of ethanol, methanol or tert-butyl alcohol. The integrity of these samples was compared to unirradiated resveratrol by HPLC. The PVP hydrogel matrix was characterized by gel fraction, swelling and in vitro biocompatibility test. The results of gel fraction and swelling degree were approximately 90% and 1600%, respectively. The cytotoxicity assay showed absence of toxicity for this formulation after crosslinking and sterilization, indicating that the PVP hydrogel formulation was appropriate for resveratrol immobilization to produce a dressing for dermatological use.

  13. Poly (vinyl alcohol) as a capping agent in oven dried cellulose nanofibrils.

    PubMed

    Velásquez-Cock, J; Gómez H, B E; Posada, P; Serpa G, A; Gómez H, C; Castro, C; Gañán, P; Zuluaga, R

    2018-01-01

    Commercialization of cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) involves addressing various challenges. Among them, wet storage and transport of CNFs due to their irreversible agglomeration when dehydrated (i.e., hornification) is a pressing issue, as it increases transportation costs. Various alternatives have been proposed in literature, some of which require the use of high-energy treatments to facilitate their redispersion after drying, while others may be inadequate when applied to food and pharmaceutical applications. The present work examines a new approach that involves using poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) as a capping agent to redisperse CNFs. Different CNF to PVA ratios were used, and redispersed samples were analyzed in terms of their morphological, physicochemical and rheological properties to assess changes occurring during processing. Results show that the ratio of CNFs to PVA affects the final properties of the redispersed product, when the ratio 1:2.5 was used, the redispersed product closely resembles the never dried sample. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. The Rheological Properties of Poly(Vinyl Alcohol) Gels from Rotational Viscometry

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hurst, Glenn A.; Bella, Malika; Salzmann, Christoph G.

    2015-01-01

    A laboratory experiment was developed to follow the gelation of a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) solution upon addition of borax by using rotational viscometry. The rheological properties of the gel were examined, measuring the dependence of viscosity and shear stress on the shear rate. Time-dependent studies were also conducted in which the viscosity of…

  15. Influence of gamma irradiation on polymerization of pyrrole and glucose oxidase immobilization onto poly (pyrrole)/poly (vinyl alcohol) matrix

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Idris, Sarada; A. Bakar, Ahmad Ashrif; Thevy Ratnam, Chantara; Kamaruddin, Nur Hasiba; Shaari, Sahbudin

    2017-04-01

    This paper describes the immobilization of glucose oxidase, GOx onto polymer matrix comprising of poly(pyrrole), PPy and poly(vinyl alcohol), PVA using gamma irradiation technique. Py/PVA-GOx film was prepared by spreading PVA:GOx, 1:1 solution onto dried pyrrole film and exposed to gamma irradiation from cobalt 60 source at doses ranging from 0 to 60 kGy. The films were subjected to structural and morphological analyses by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Scanning electron microscope (SEM), Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and Atomic-force microscopy (AFM) techniques. Similar studies were also made on pristine pyrrole film which served as control. The SEM and FTIR spectra of Py/PVA-GOx film revealed that pyrrole has been successfully polymerized through irradiation-induced reactions. The results on the morphological properties of the samples characterize using FESEM, SEM and AFM further confirmed the occurrence of radiation-induced modification of Py/PVA-GOx film. The FTIR spectra showed the existence of intermolecular interaction between polymer matrix and GOx indicating that GOx had been successfully immobilized onto Ppy/PVA matrix by radiation-induced reactions. Results revealed that radiation induced reactions such as polymerization of pyrrole, crosslinking of PVA, grafting between the adjacent PVA and pyrrole molecules as well as immobilization of GOx onto Ppy/PVA matrix occurred simultaneously upon gamma irradiation. The optimum dose for GOx immobilization in the polymer matrix found to be 40 kGy. Therefore it is clear that this irradiation technique offered a simple single process to produce Py/PVA-GOx film without additional crosslinking and polymerization agents.

  16. Analysis of isothiazolinone preservatives in polyvinyl alcohol cooling towels used in Japan.

    PubMed

    Kawakami, Tsuyoshi; Isama, Kazuo; Ikarashi, Yoshiaki

    2014-09-19

    Recently, cases of contact dermatitis that were related to the use of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) cooling towels containing isothiazolinone preservatives were reported in Japan. The aim of this investigation was to analyze the concentrations of five different isothiazolinone compounds present in PVA towels and to assess the effectiveness of washing in removing the preservatives from new towels prior to being used for the first time. Twenty-seven PVA towels were used in this study. Two groups (i.e., laboratory-simulation and volunteer) of washing experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of washing procedures. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were performed by LC/MS/MS, which detected 2-methyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one (MI) and 5-chloro-2-methyl-4-isothaizolin-3-one (CMI) in 23 samples (MI: 0.29-154 μg g-wet(-1), CMI: 2.2-467 μg g-wet(-1)), 2-n-octyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one (OIT) in one sample (478 μg g-wet(-1)). The compounds 4,5-Dichloro-2-n-octyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one (2Cl-OIT) and 1,2-benzisothiazolin-3-one (BIT) were not detected in all samples. We confirmed the presence of residual MI, CMI, and OIT in the washed towels, and the residual-to-original content ratio of OIT was higher than that of MI and CMI in PVA towels, due to the higher hydrophobicity of OIT than MI and CMI. A concern has been raised about the occurrence of contact dermatitis being caused by the use of PVA towels. It is suggested that a detailed description of isothiazolinone preservatives in PVA towels and an effective washing procedure for the removal of these preservatives should be provided by the manufacturer. Further, alternative non-sensitizing preservatives might be considered for the manufacture of PVA cooling towels in the future.

  17. A sustainable slashing industry using biodegradable sizes from modified soy protein to replace petro-based poly(vinyl alcohol).

    PubMed

    Zhao, Yi; Zhao, Yuzhu; Xu, Helan; Yang, Yiqi

    2015-02-17

    Biodegradable sizing agents from triethanolamine (TEA) modified soy protein could substitute poly(vinyl alcohol)(PVA) sizes for high-speed weaving of polyester and polyester/cotton yarns to substantially decrease environmental pollution and impel sustainability of textile industry. Nonbiodegradable PVA sizes are widely used and mainly contribute to high chemical oxygen demand (COD) in textile effluents. It has not been possible to effectively degrade, reuse or replace PVA sizes so far. Soy protein with good biodegradability showed potential as warp sizes in our previous studies. However, soy protein sizes lacked film flexibility and adhesion for required high-speed weaving. Additives with multiple hydroxyl groups, nonlinear molecule, and electric charge could physically modify secondary structure of soy protein and lead to about 23.6% and 43.3% improvement in size adhesion and ability of hair coverage comparing to unmodified soy protein. Industrial weaving results showed TEA-soy protein had relative weaving efficiency 3% and 10% higher than PVA and chemically modified starch sizes on polyester/cotton fabrics, and had relative weaving efficiency similar to PVA on polyester fabrics, although with 3- 6% lower add-on. In addition, TEA-soy sizes had a BOD5/COD ratio of 0.44, much higher than 0.03 for PVA, indicating that TEA-soy sizes were easily biodegradable in activated sludge.

  18. Negative pressure wound therapy using polyvinyl alcohol foam to bolster full-thickness mesh skin grafts in dogs.

    PubMed

    Or, Matan; Van Goethem, Bart; Kitshoff, Adriaan; Koenraadt, Annika; Schwarzkopf, Ilona; Bosmans, Tim; de Rooster, Hilde

    2017-04-01

    To report the use of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) foam to bolster full-thickness mesh skin grafts in dogs. Retrospective case series. Client-owned dogs (n = 8). Full-thickness mesh skin graft was directly covered with PVA foam. NPWT was maintained for 5 days (in 1 or 2 cycles). Grafts were evaluated on days 2, 5, 10, 15, and 30 for graft appearance and graft take, granulation tissue formation, and complications. Firm attachment of the graft to the recipient bed was accomplished in 7 dogs with granulation tissue quickly filling the mesh holes, and graft take considered excellent. One dog had bandage complications after cessation of the NPWT, causing partial graft loss. The PVA foam did not adhere to the graft or damage the surrounding skin. The application of NPWT with a PVA foam after full-thickness mesh skin grafting in dogs provides an effective method for securing skin grafts, with good graft acceptance. PVA foam can be used as a primary dressing for skin grafts, obviating the need for other interposing materials to protect the graft and the surrounding skin. © 2017 The American College of Veterinary Surgeons.

  19. Structure-sensitive film materials based on polyvinyl alcohol compositions with polyacids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lazareva, Tatjana G.; Iljushenko, Irina A.

    1995-05-01

    The influence of polyacidic additives (silicotungstic acid -- STA, carboxymethylcellulose -- Na-CMC, polymethacrylic acid -- PMA, polyacrylic acid -- PAA) on the molecular mobility of film composition based on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) in the temperature range 20 - 200 degree(s)C has been evaluated. It has been concluded that interpolymer complexes are formed due to hydrogen bonding of the PVA and polyacidic additive molecules, which results in the change of the PVA stereoregularity. The formation of the complexes depends on the type and concentration of the polyacidic additive, the process of (alpha) -relaxation and, in a certain concentration range of the additive, increases the molecular mobility of the kinetic segments surrounding the complex. The influence of short-term UV-irradiation on the structure and properties of such materials has been investigated. A possibility of the reversible change of molecular mobility and stereoregularity of the examined compositions as a result of short-term UV-irradiation has been established. Introduction of polyacids into the PVA structure gives rise to the electrosensitivity, i.e., the ability to change structure under the action of an electric field. In this case the distinguishing feature is the relation between the molecular mobility and electrosensitivity in the range of parameters where the (alpha) - relaxation occurs.

  20. Synthesis, characterization, optical and antimicrobial studies of polyvinyl alcohol-silver nanocomposites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mahmoud, K. H.

    2015-03-01

    Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) were synthesized by chemical reduction of silver salt (AgNO3) through sodium borohydride. The characteristic surface plasmon resonance band located at around 400 nm in the UV-Visible absorption spectrum confirmed the formation of Ag nanoparticles. Polyvinyl alcohol-silver (PVA-Ag) nanocomposite films were prepared by the casting technique. The morphology and interaction of PVA with Ag NPs were examined by transmission electron microscopy and FTIR spectroscopy. Optical studies show that PVA exhibited indirect allowed optical transition with optical energy gap of 4.8 eV, which reduced to 4.45 eV under addition of Ag NPs. Optical parameters such as refractive index, complex dielectric constant and their dispersions have been analyzed using Wemple and DiDomenco model. Color properties of the nanocomposites are discussed in the framework of CIE L∗u∗v∗ color space. The antimicrobial activity of the nanocomposite samples was tested against Gram positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus NCTC 7447 &Bacillus subtillis NCIB 3610), Gram negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, NTC10416 &Pseudomonas aeruginosa NCIB 9016) and fungi (Aspergillus niger Ferm - BAM C-21) using the agar diffusion technique. The antimicrobial study showed that PVA has moderate antibacterial activity against B. subtillis and the 0.04 wt% Ag NPs composite sample effect was strong against S. aureus.

  1. Silver/poly(vinyl alcohol) nanocomposite film prepared using water in oil microemulsion for antibacterial applications.

    PubMed

    Fatema, Ummul K; Rahman, M Muhibur; Islam, M Rakibul; Mollah, M Yousuf A; Susan, Md Abu Bin Hasan

    2018-03-15

    Water in oil microemulsion (w/o) is a simple preparative route for nanoparticles where water droplets (dispersed in continuous oil medium and stabilized by surfactants and cosurfactants) act as nanoreactors to carry out chemical reactions. If polymeric matrix is incorporated inside the core of the microemulsions, it should prevent the agglomeration of nanoparticles after separation from microemulsions. Thus polymer nanocomposite films prepared from w/o microemulsions are expected to give narrow and homogeneous size distribution of nanoparticles throughout the polymer host. Silver/poly(vinyl alcohol) (Ag/PVA) nanocomposite film was successfully prepared, for the first time, using Triton X-100 (TX-100)/1-butanol/cyclohexane/water microemulsion. Reduction of the metal salt was carried out in the core of w/o microemulsion droplets containing PVA polymeric matrix. After separation from the microemulsion, Ag/PVA nanocomposite film was then prepared by solution casting method. The antibacterial activity of the nanocomposites was tested against Gram-negative, Escherichia coli and Gram-positive, Staphylococcus aureus by agar diffusion method. Ag nanoparticles with an average diameter of 105 nm could be synthesized using PVA, whereas in the absence of PVA the nanoparticles agglomerated. The distribution of Ag nanoparticles on PVA surface of the nanocomposite film prepared using microemulsion was uniform, whereas the film prepared through in situ generation of Ag nanoparticles by chemical reduction process on PVA host showed non-uniform, coagulated, bunches of Ag nanoparticles. The film synthesized using microemulsion exhibited enhanced antibacterial efficacy compared to that prepared through in situ synthesis under the same test condition. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Preparation and characterization of antibacterial electrospun chitosan/poly (vinyl alcohol)/graphene oxide composite nanofibrous membrane

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Shuai; Lei, Peng; Shan, Yujuan; Zhang, Dawei

    2018-03-01

    In this paper, chitosan (CS)/poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/graphene oxide (GO) composite nanofibrous membranes were prepared via electrospinning. Such nanofibrous membranes have been characterized and investigated for their morphological, structural, thermal stability, hydrophilic and antibacterial properties. SEM images showed that the uniform and defect-free nanofibers were obtained and GO sheets, shaping spindle and spherical, were partially embedded into nanofibers. FTIR, XRD, DSC and TGA indicated the good compatibility between CS and PVA. There were strong intermolecular hydrogen bonds between the chitosan and PVA molecules. Contact angle measurement indicated that while increasing the content of GO, the distance between fibers increased and water drop showed wetting state on the surface of nanofibrous membranes. As a result, the contact angle decreased significantly. Meanwhile, good antibacterial activity of the prepared nanofibrous membranes were exhibited against Gram-negative Escherichia coli and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus.

  3. Hydrogel microparticles for biosensing

    PubMed Central

    Le Goff, Gaelle C.; Srinivas, Rathi L.; Hill, W. Adam; Doyle, Patrick S.

    2015-01-01

    Due to their hydrophilic, biocompatible, and highly tunable nature, hydrogel materials have attracted strong interest in the recent years for numerous biotechnological applications. In particular, their solution-like environment and non-fouling nature in complex biological samples render hydrogels as ideal substrates for biosensing applications. Hydrogel coatings, and later, gel dot surface microarrays, were successfully used in sensitive nucleic acid assays and immunoassays. More recently, new microfabrication techniques for synthesizing encoded particles from hydrogel materials have enabled the development of hydrogel-based suspension arrays. Lithography processes and droplet-based microfluidic techniques enable generation of libraries of particles with unique spectral or graphical codes, for multiplexed sensing in biological samples. In this review, we discuss the key questions arising when designing hydrogel particles dedicated to biosensing. How can the hydrogel material be engineered in order to tune its properties and immobilize bioprobes inside? What are the strategies to fabricate and encode gel particles, and how can particles be processed and decoded after the assay? Finally, we review the bioassays reported so far in the literature that have used hydrogel particle arrays and give an outlook of further developments of the field. PMID:26594056

  4. Development of structure in natural silk spinning and poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel formation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Willcox, Patricia Jeanene

    This research involves the characterization of structure and structure formation in aqueous systems. Particularly, these studies investigate the effect of various processing variables on the structure formation that occurs upon conversion from aqueous solution to fiber or hydrogel. The two processes studied include natural silk fiber spinning and physical gelation of poly(vinyl alcohol), PVOH, in water. The techniques employed combine cryogenic technology for sample preparation and direct observation by transmission electron microscopy with electron diffraction, atomic force microscopy, optical rheometry, X-ray scattering and optical microscopy. In order to explore the full range of structure formation in natural silk spinning, studies are conducted in vivo and in vitro. In vivo structural investigations are accomplished through the cryogenic quenching and subsequent microtoming of live silk-spinning animals, Nephila clavipes (spider) and Bombyx mori (silkworm). Observations made using transmission electron microscopy, electron diffraction and atomic force microscopy indicate a cholesteric liquid crystalline mesophase of aqueous silk fibroin in both species. The mechanism of structure formation in solution is studied in vitro using optical rheometry on aqueous solutions made from regenerated Bombyx mori cocoon silk. Concentrated solutions exhibit birefringence under flow, with a wormlike conformation of the silk molecules in concentrated salt solution. Changes in salt concentration and pH of the aqueous silk solutions result in differing degrees of alignment and aggregation. These results suggest that structural control in the natural silk spinning process is accomplished by chemical manipulation of the electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonding between chains. Application of cryogenic methods in transmission electron microscopy also provides a unique look at hydration-dependent structures in gels of poly(vinyl alcohol) produced by freeze-thaw processing

  5. Spray-on polyvinyl alcohol separators and impact on power production in air-cathode microbial fuel cells with different solution conductivities.

    PubMed

    Hoskins, Daniel L; Zhang, Xiaoyuan; Hickner, Michael A; Logan, Bruce E

    2014-11-01

    Separators are used to protect cathodes from biofouling and to avoid electrode short-circuiting, but they can adversely affect microbial fuel cell (MFC) performance. A spray method was used to apply a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) separator to the cathode. Power densities were unaffected by the PVA separator (339±29mW/m(2)), compared to a control lacking a separator in a low conductivity solution (1mS/cm) similar to wastewater. Power was reduced with separators in solutions typical of laboratory tests (7-13mS/cm), compared to separatorless controls. The PVA separator produced more power in a separator assembly (SEA) configuration (444±8mW/m(2)) in the 1mS/cm solution, but power was reduced if a PVA or wipe separator was used in higher conductivity solutions with either Pt or activated carbon catalysts. Spray and cast PVA separators performed similarly, but the spray method is preferred as it was easier to apply and use. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Low-voltage organic thin film transistors (OTFTs) using crosslinked polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/neodymium oxide (Nd2O3) bilayer gate dielectrics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Khound, Sagarika; Sarma, Ranjit

    2018-01-01

    We have reported here on the design, processing and dielectric properties of pentacene-based organic thin film transitors (OTFTs) with a bilayer gate dilectrics of crosslinked PVA/Nd2O3 which enables low-voltage organic thin film operations. The dielectric characteristics of PVA/Nd2O3 bilayer films are studied by capacitance-voltage ( C- V) and current-voltage ( I- V) curves in the metal-insulator-metal (MIM) structure. We have analysed the output electrical responses and transfer characteristics of the OTFT devices to determine their performance of OTFT parameters. The mobility of 0.94 cm2/Vs, the threshold voltage of - 2.8 V, the current on-off ratio of 6.2 × 105, the subthreshold slope of 0.61 V/decade are evaluated. Low leakage current of the device is observed from current density-electric field ( J- E) curve. The structure and the morphology of the device are studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscope (AFM), respectively. The study demonstrates an effective way to realize low-voltage, high-performance OTFTs at low cost.

  7. High efficiency preparation and characterization of intact poly(vinyl alcohol) dehydrogenase from Sphingopyxis sp.113P3 in Escherichia coli by inclusion bodies renaturation.

    PubMed

    Jia, Dongxu; Yang, Yu; Peng, Zhengcong; Zhang, Dongxu; Li, Jianghua; Liu, Long; Du, Guocheng; Chen, Jian

    2014-03-01

    Poly(vinyl alcohol) dehydrogenase (PVADH, EC 1.1.99.23) is an enzyme which has potential application in textile industry to degrade the poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) in waste water. Previously, a 1,965-bp fragment encoding a PVADH from Sphingopyxis sp. 113P3 was synthesized based on the replacement of the rare codons in Escherichia coli (E. coli). In this work, the deduced mature PVADH (mPVADH) gene of 1,887 bp was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and inserted into the site between NcoI and HindIII in pET-32a(+). The constructed recombinant plasmid was transformed into E. coli Rosetta (DE3). In shake flask, the fusion protein of thioredoxin (Trx)-mPVADH was expressed precisely; however, Trx-mPVADH was found to accumulate mainly as inclusion bodies. After isolating, dissolving in buffer containing urea, purification, dialysis renaturation, and digesting with recombinant enterokinase/His (rEK/His), the bioactive mPVADH fragments were obtained with protein concentration of 0.56 g/L and enzymatic activity of 194 U/mL. The K m and V max values for PVA 1799 were 2.33 mg/mL and 15.7 nmol/(min·mg protein), respectively. (1)H-NMR and infrared (IR) spectrum demonstrated that its biological function was oxidizing hydroxyl groups of PVA 1799 to form diketone, and PVA 1799 could be degraded completely by successive treatment with mPVADH and oxidized PVA hydrolase (OPH).

  8. Artificial Polymeric Scaffolds as Extracellular Matrix Substitutes for Autologous Conjunctival Goblet Cell Expansion

    PubMed Central

    He, Min; Storr-Paulsen, Thomas; Wang, Annie L.; Ghezzi, Chiara E.; Wang, Siran; Fullana, Matthew; Karamichos, Dimitrios; Utheim, Tor P.; Islam, Rakibul; Griffith, May; Islam, M. Mirazul; Hodges, Robin R.; Wnek, Gary E.; Kaplan, David L.; Dartt, Darlene A.

    2016-01-01

    Purpose We fabricated and investigated polymeric scaffolds that can substitute for the conjunctival extracellular matrix to provide a substrate for autologous expansion of human conjunctival goblet cells in culture. Methods We fabricated two hydrogels and two silk films: (1) recombinant human collagen (RHC) hydrogel, (2) recombinant human collagen 2-methacryloylxyethyl phosphorylcholine (RHC-MPC) hydrogel, (3) arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) modified silk, and (4) poly-D-lysine (PDL) coated silk, and four electrospun scaffolds: (1) collagen, (2) poly(acrylic acid) (PAA), (3) poly(caprolactone) (PCL), and (4) poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA). Coverslips and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) were used for comparison. Human conjunctival explants were cultured on scaffolds for 9 to 15 days. Cell viability, outgrowth area, and the percentage of cells expressing markers for stratified squamous epithelial cells (cytokeratin 4) and goblet cells (cytokeratin 7) were determined. Results Most of cells grown on all scaffolds were viable except for PCL in which only 3.6 ± 2.2% of the cells were viable. No cells attached to PVA scaffold. The outgrowth was greatest on PDL-silk and PET. Outgrowth was smallest on PCL. All cells were CK7-positive on RHC-MPC while 84.7 ± 6.9% of cells expressed CK7 on PDL-silk. For PCL, 87.10 ± 3.17% of cells were CK7-positive compared to PET where 67.10 ± 12.08% of cells were CK7-positive cells. Conclusions Biopolymer substrates in the form of hydrogels and silk films provided for better adherence, proliferation, and differentiation than the electrospun scaffolds and could be used for conjunctival goblet cell expansion for eventual transplantation once undifferentiated and stratified squamous cells are included. Useful polymer scaffold design characteristics have emerged from this study. PMID:27832279

  9. Artificial Polymeric Scaffolds as Extracellular Matrix Substitutes for Autologous Conjunctival Goblet Cell Expansion.

    PubMed

    He, Min; Storr-Paulsen, Thomas; Wang, Annie L; Ghezzi, Chiara E; Wang, Siran; Fullana, Matthew; Karamichos, Dimitrios; Utheim, Tor P; Islam, Rakibul; Griffith, May; Islam, M Mirazul; Hodges, Robin R; Wnek, Gary E; Kaplan, David L; Dartt, Darlene A

    2016-11-01

    We fabricated and investigated polymeric scaffolds that can substitute for the conjunctival extracellular matrix to provide a substrate for autologous expansion of human conjunctival goblet cells in culture. We fabricated two hydrogels and two silk films: (1) recombinant human collagen (RHC) hydrogel, (2) recombinant human collagen 2-methacryloylxyethyl phosphorylcholine (RHC-MPC) hydrogel, (3) arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) modified silk, and (4) poly-D-lysine (PDL) coated silk, and four electrospun scaffolds: (1) collagen, (2) poly(acrylic acid) (PAA), (3) poly(caprolactone) (PCL), and (4) poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA). Coverslips and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) were used for comparison. Human conjunctival explants were cultured on scaffolds for 9 to 15 days. Cell viability, outgrowth area, and the percentage of cells expressing markers for stratified squamous epithelial cells (cytokeratin 4) and goblet cells (cytokeratin 7) were determined. Most of cells grown on all scaffolds were viable except for PCL in which only 3.6 ± 2.2% of the cells were viable. No cells attached to PVA scaffold. The outgrowth was greatest on PDL-silk and PET. Outgrowth was smallest on PCL. All cells were CK7-positive on RHC-MPC while 84.7 ± 6.9% of cells expressed CK7 on PDL-silk. For PCL, 87.10 ± 3.17% of cells were CK7-positive compared to PET where 67.10 ± 12.08% of cells were CK7-positive cells. Biopolymer substrates in the form of hydrogels and silk films provided for better adherence, proliferation, and differentiation than the electrospun scaffolds and could be used for conjunctival goblet cell expansion for eventual transplantation once undifferentiated and stratified squamous cells are included. Useful polymer scaffold design characteristics have emerged from this study.

  10. Impedance analysis on PVA/PVP: GO blend nanocomposite polymer films

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rao, M. C.; Basha, S. K. Shahenoor; Kumar, B. Ranjit

    2018-05-01

    Nanocomposite polymer films have been prepared by doping Graphene oxide (GO) in PVA/PVP blend polymers by solution cast technique. AC conductivity studies were performed on to the prepared nanocomposite films and the maximum ionic conductivity is found to be 6.13x10-4 Scm-1 for (0.30:0.3) wt% of nanocomposite polymer film at room temperature. The maximum ionic conductivity of nanocomposite polymer films of PVA/PVP: GO holds great promise in potential applications.

  11. ZnO-PVA nanocomposite films for low threshold optical limiting applications

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Viswanath, Varsha; Beenakumari, C.; Muneera, C. I.

    Zinc oxide-PVA nanocomposite films were fabricated adopting a simple method based on solution-casting, incorporating small weight percentages (<1.2 wt%) of ZnO in PVA (∼0.625×10{sup −3}M to 7×10{sup −3}M), and their structure, morphology, linear and low threshold nonlinear optical properties were investigated. The films were characterized as nanostructured ZnO encapsulated between the molecules/chains of the semicrystalline host polymer PVA. The samples exhibited low threshold nonlinear absorption and negative nonlinear refraction, as studied using the Z-scan technique. A switchover from SA to RSA was observed as the concentration of ZnO was increased. The optical limiting of 632.8 nm CW laser light displayedmore » by these nanocomposite films is also demonstrated. The estimated values of the effective coefficients of nonlinear absorption, nonlinear refraction and third-order nonlinear susceptibility, |χ{sup (3)}|, compared to those reported for continuous wave laser light excitation, measure up to the highest among them. The results show that the ZnO-PVA nanocomposite films have great potential applications in future optical and photonic devices.« less

  12. Solution spinning of a high-? oxide superconductor: the effect of poly(vinyl alcohol) spinning medium on the critical current density of melt-processed ? superconducting filaments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tomita, Hisayo; Sunohara, Makoto; Goto, Tomoko; Takahashi, Kiyohisa

    1996-12-01

    The precursor 0953-2048/9/12/014/img9 filament was prepared by solution spinning through a homogeneous aqueous poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) solution of Y, Ba and Cu acetates. The solution spinning was successfully performed using PVA with degrees of polymerization (DP) of 1700 and 2450 and a degree of saponification of 85 mol%. The as-drawn filament was heated to remove volatile components and partially melted to generate a superconducting phase. The effects of the DP of PVA and a content of mixed acetates in the precursor filament on the critical current density 0953-2048/9/12/014/img10 of the melt-processed filament were examined. The higher 0953-2048/9/12/014/img11 was obtained for the filament spun from PVA solution of higher DP and lower acetate content. The highest 0953-2048/9/12/014/img11 value of 0953-2048/9/12/014/img13 at 77 K and 0 T was achieved for the filament spun from the DP 2450 PVA with an acetate to PVA ratio of two.

  13. Rapid self-healing hydrogels

    PubMed Central

    Phadke, Ameya; Zhang, Chao; Arman, Bedri; Hsu, Cheng-Chih; Mashelkar, Raghunath A.; Lele, Ashish K.; Tauber, Michael J.; Arya, Gaurav; Varghese, Shyni

    2012-01-01

    Synthetic materials that are capable of autonomous healing upon damage are being developed at a rapid pace because of their many potential applications. Despite these advancements, achieving self-healing in permanently cross-linked hydrogels has remained elusive because of the presence of water and irreversible cross-links. Here, we demonstrate that permanently cross-linked hydrogels can be engineered to exhibit self-healing in an aqueous environment. We achieve this feature by arming the hydrogel network with flexible-pendant side chains carrying an optimal balance of hydrophilic and hydrophobic moieties that allows the side chains to mediate hydrogen bonds across the hydrogel interfaces with minimal steric hindrance and hydrophobic collapse. The self-healing reported here is rapid, occurring within seconds of the insertion of a crack into the hydrogel or juxtaposition of two separate hydrogel pieces. The healing is reversible and can be switched on and off via changes in pH, allowing external control over the healing process. Moreover, the hydrogels can sustain multiple cycles of healing and separation without compromising their mechanical properties and healing kinetics. Beyond revealing how secondary interactions could be harnessed to introduce new functions to chemically cross-linked polymeric systems, we also demonstrate various potential applications of such easy-to-synthesize, smart, self-healing hydrogels. PMID:22392977

  14. One-Step Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles on Polydopamine-Coated Sericin/Polyvinyl Alcohol Composite Films for Potential Antimicrobial Applications.

    PubMed

    Cai, Rui; Tao, Gang; He, Huawei; Song, Kai; Zuo, Hua; Jiang, Wenchao; Wang, Yejing

    2017-04-30

    Silk sericin has great potential as a biomaterial for biomedical applications due to its good hydrophilicity, reactivity, and biodegradability. To develop multifunctional sericin materials for potential antibacterial application, a one-step synthesis method for preparing silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) modified on polydopamine-coated sericin/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) composite films was developed. Polydopamine (PDA) acted as both metal ion chelating and reducing agent to synthesize AgNPs in situ on the sericin/PVA composite film. Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy analysis revealed that polydopamine could effectively facilitate the high-density growth of AgNPs as a 3-D matrix. X-ray diffractometry studies suggested the synthesized AgNPs formed good face-centered cubic crystalline structures. Contact angle measurement and mechanical test indicated AgNPs modified PDA-sericin/PVA composite film had good hydrophilicity and mechanical property. The bacterial growth curve and inhibition zone assays showed the AgNPs modified PDA-sericin/PVA composite film had long-term antibacterial activities. This work develops a new method for the preparation of AgNPs modified PDA-sericin/PVA film with good hydrophilicity, mechanical performance and antibacterial activities for the potential antimicrobial application in biomedicine.

  15. Design of smart optical sensor using polyvinyl alcohol/Fluorescein sodium salt: Laser filters and optical limiting effect

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yahia, I. S.; Bouzidi, A.; Zahran, H. Y.; Jilani, W.; AlFaify, S.; Algarni, H.; Guermazi, H.

    2018-03-01

    Pure poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and PVA doped Fluorescein-Sodium salt (FSS/PVA composite films) have synthesized on wide scale laser optical filters. The investigated polymeric composite films have been characterized using several methods. The XRD patterns exhibit a decrease of the average crystalline size and an increase of the internal strain, which explained the imperfection and distortion in the prepared films. The optical characterizations showed a decrease in the transmission of the incident light for different samples, which may be explained to the layer formed by intermolecular hydrogen bonding between the PVA matrix and the FSS particles. The FSS/PVA polymeric composite films are being a completely blocking in the UV-Vis light at the range between 190 and 560 nm, agreement with the optical limiting effect, which makes the composite films suitable for CUT-OFF laser filters applications. The decrease in its, directly and indirectly, allowed transition band gaps were controlled by the added FSS dyes molecules. The variation of the exponent frequency (s) of the power law for FSS/PVA polymeric composite films has been characterized to improve the hopping conduction mechanism in the materials. The dielectric permittivity (e‧) and dielectric loss (e'') have been decreased with increasing the applied frequency, and the incorporated FSS molecules due to the DC electric conductivity can cause the decreases of the polarization of the as-prepared films over the studied ranges.

  16. Microfluidic hydrogels for tissue engineering.

    PubMed

    Huang, Guo You; Zhou, Li Hong; Zhang, Qian Cheng; Chen, Yong Mei; Sun, Wei; Xu, Feng; Lu, Tian Jian

    2011-03-01

    With advanced properties similar to the native extracellular matrix, hydrogels have found widespread applications in tissue engineering. Hydrogel-based cellular constructs have been successfully developed to engineer different tissues such as skin, cartilage and bladder. Whilst significant advances have been made, it is still challenging to fabricate large and complex functional tissues due mainly to the limited diffusion capability of hydrogels. The integration of microfluidic networks and hydrogels can greatly enhance mass transport in hydrogels and spatiotemporally control the chemical microenvironment of cells, mimicking the function of native microvessels. In this review, we present and discuss recent advances in the fabrication of microfluidic hydrogels from the viewpoint of tissue engineering. Further development of new hydrogels and microengineering technologies will have a great impact on tissue engineering.

  17. A postoperative anti-adhesion barrier based on photoinduced imine-crosslinking hydrogel with tissue-adhesive ability.

    PubMed

    Yang, Yunlong; Liu, Xiaolin; Li, Yan; Wang, Yang; Bao, Chunyan; Chen, Yunfeng; Lin, Qiuning; Zhu, Linyong

    2017-10-15

    Postoperative adhesion is a serious complication that can further lead to morbidity and/or mortality. Polymer anti-adhesion barrier material provides an effective precaution to reduce the probability of postoperative adhesion. Clinical application requires these materials to be easily handled, biocompatible, biodegradable, and most importantly tissue adherent to provide target sites with reliable isolation. However, currently there is nearly no polymer barrier material that can fully satisfy these requirements. In this study, based on the photoinduced imine-crosslinking (PIC) reaction, we had developed a photo-crosslinking hydrogel (CNG hydrogel) that composed of o-nitrobenzyl alcohol (NB) modified carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC-NB) and glycol chitosan (GC) as an anti-adhesion barrier material. Under light irradiation, CMC-NB generated aldehyde groups which subsequently reacted with amino groups distributed on GC or tissue surface to form a hydrogel barrier that covalently attached to tissue surface. Rheological analysis demonstrated that CNG hydrogel (30mg/mL polymer content) could be formed in 30s upon light irradiation. Tissue adhesive tests showed that the tissue adhesive strength of CNG hydrogel (30mg/mL) was about 8.32kPa-24.65kPa which increased with increasing CMC-NB content in CNG hydrogel. Toxicity evaluation by L929 cells demonstrated that CNG hydrogel was cytocompatible. Furthermore, sidewall defect-cecum abrasion model of rat was employed to evaluate the postoperative anti-adhesion efficacy of CNG hydrogel. And a significantly reduction of tissue adhesion (20% samples with low score adhesion) was found in CNG hydrogel treated group, compared with control group (100% samples with high score adhesion). In addition, CNG hydrogel could be degraded in nearly 14days and showed no side effect on wound healing. These findings indicated that CNG hydrogel can effectively expanded the clinical treatments of postoperative tissue adhesion. In this study, a tissue

  18. [Thromboresistance of glucose-containing hydrogels].

    PubMed

    Valuev, I L; Valuev, L I; Vanchugova, L V; Obydennova, I V; Valueva, T A

    2013-01-01

    The thromboresistance of glucose-sensitive polymer hydrogels, modeling one of the functions of the pancreas, namely, the ability to secrete insulin in response to the introduction of glucose into the environment, has been studied. Hydrogels were synthesized by the copolymerization of hydroxyethyl methacrylate with N-acryloyl glucosamine in the presence of a cross-linking agent and subsequently treated with concanavalin A. Introduction of glucose residues into the hydrogel did not result in significant changes in either the number of trombocytes adhered to the hydrogel or the degree of denaturation of blood plasma proteins interacting with the hydrogel. Consequently, the biological activity of insulin did not change after release from the hydrogel. The use of glucose-sensitive hydrogels is supposed to contribute to the development of a novel strategy for the treatment of diabetes.

  19. Determination of glass transition temperature of reduced graphene oxide-poly(vinyl alcohol) composites using temperature dependent Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mahendia, Suman; Heena; Kandhol, Geeta; Deshpande, Uday P.; Kumar, Shyam

    2016-05-01

    In the present work, structural properties of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) synthesized using modified Hummer's method and its composites with Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) fabricated using solution-cast method have been studied. The structural properties of prepared samples have been systematically studied through UV-Visible absorption, Raman, Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) spectroscopy. Infrared spectroscopy indicates the grafting of PVA chains with graphene layer through the formation of H-bonding linkage in the composites. Temperature-dependent FTIR spectra of PVA-RGO composite films were recorded to obtain the glass transition temperature (Tg) and to study its molecular origin. From these spectra the values of Tg were obtained using two-dimensional (2D) mapping of the first derivative of the absorbance intensity with respect to temperature (dA/dT), over the space of wavenumber and temperature. The value of Tg obtained for pure PVA increases from 78 °C to 92 °C after loading 0.5 wt.% of RGO in PVA and can be attributed to the strong H-bonding interaction between polymer chains and grafted solid surface of RGO. These results are in good agreement with those obtained from DSC analysis. This clearly indicates that the thermal behavior of PVA gets modified with loading of RGO.

  20. Hydrogel Biomaterials: A Smart Future?

    PubMed Central

    Kopeček, Jindřich

    2007-01-01

    Hydrogels were the first biomaterials developed for human use. The state-of-the-art and potential for the future are discussed. Recently, new designs have produced mechanically strong synthetic hydrogels. Protein based hydrogels and hybrid hydrogels containing protein domains present a novel advance; such biomaterials may self-assemble from block or graft copolymers containing biorecognition domains. One of the domains, the coiled-coil, ubiquitously found in nature, has been used as an example to demonstrate the developments in the design of smart hydrogels. The application potential of synthetic, protein-based, DNA-based, and hybrid hydrogels bodes well for the future of this class of biomaterials. PMID:17697712

  1. Photonic hydrogel sensors.

    PubMed

    Yetisen, Ali K; Butt, Haider; Volpatti, Lisa R; Pavlichenko, Ida; Humar, Matjaž; Kwok, Sheldon J J; Koo, Heebeom; Kim, Ki Su; Naydenova, Izabela; Khademhosseini, Ali; Hahn, Sei Kwang; Yun, Seok Hyun

    2016-01-01

    Analyte-sensitive hydrogels that incorporate optical structures have emerged as sensing platforms for point-of-care diagnostics. The optical properties of the hydrogel sensors can be rationally designed and fabricated through self-assembly, microfabrication or laser writing. The advantages of photonic hydrogel sensors over conventional assay formats include label-free, quantitative, reusable, and continuous measurement capability that can be integrated with equipment-free text or image display. This Review explains the operation principles of photonic hydrogel sensors, presents syntheses of stimuli-responsive polymers, and provides an overview of qualitative and quantitative readout technologies. Applications in clinical samples are discussed, and potential future directions are identified. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Enabling Surgical Placement of Hydrogels through Achieving Paste-Like Rheological Behavior in Hydrogel Precursor Solutions

    PubMed Central

    Beck, Emily C.; Lohman, Brooke L.; Tabakh, Daniel B.; Kieweg, Sarah L.; Gehrke, Stevin H.; Berkland, Cory J.; Detamore, Michael S.

    2015-01-01

    Hydrogels are a promising class of materials for tissue regeneration, but they lack the ability to be molded into a defect site by a surgeon because hydrogel precursors are liquid solutions that are prone to leaking during placement. Therefore, although the main focus of hydrogel technology and developments are on hydrogels in their crosslinked form, our primary focus is on improving the fluid behavior of hydrogel precursor solutions. In this work, we introduce a method to achieve paste-like hydrogel precursor solutions by combining hyaluronic acid nanoparticles with traditional crosslinked hyaluronic acid hydrogels. Prior to crosslinking, the samples underwent rheological testing to assess yield stress and recovery using linear hyaluronic acid as a control. The experimental groups containing nanoparticles were the only solutions that exhibited a yield stress, demonstrating that the nanoparticulate rather than the linear form of hyaluronic acid was necessary to achieve paste-like behavior. The gels were also photocrosslinked and further characterized as solids, where it was demonstrated that the inclusion of nanoparticles did not adversely affect the compressive modulus and that encapsulated bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells remained viable. Overall, this nanoparticle-based approach provides a platform hydrogel system that exhibits a yield stress prior to crosslinking, and can then be crosslinked into a hydrogel that is capable of encapsulating cells that remain viable. This behavior may hold significant impact for hydrogel applications where a paste-like behavior is desired in the hydrogel precursor solution. PMID:25691398

  3. Passive approach for the improved dispersion of polyvinyl alcohol-based functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes/Nafion membranes for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells.

    PubMed

    Abu Sayeed, M D; Talukdar, Krishan; Kim, Hee Jin; Park, Younjin; Gopalan, A I; Kim, Young Ho; Lee, Kwang-Pill; Choi, Sang-June

    2014-12-01

    Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are regarded as ideal fillers for Nafion polymer electrolyte membranes (PEMs) for fuel cell applications. The highly aggregated properties of MWCNTs can be overcome by the successful cross-linking with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) into the MWCNTs/Nafion membrane. In this study, a series of nanocomposite membranes were fabricated with the PVA-influenced functionalized MWCNTs reinforced into the Nafion polymer matrix by a solution casting method. Several different PVA contents were blended to f-MWCNTs/Nafion nanocomposite membranes followed by successful cross-linking by annealing. The surface morphologies and the inner structures of the resulting PVA-MWCNTs/Nafion nanocomposite membranes were then observed by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to investigate the dispersion of MWCNTs into the PVA/Nafion composite membranes. After that, the nanocomposite membranes were characterized by thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) to observe the thermal enhancement caused by effective cross-linking between the f-MWCNTs with the composite polymer matrixes. Improved water uptake with reduced methanol uptake revealed the successful fabrication of PVA-blended f-MWCNTs/Nafion membranes. In addition, the ion exchange capacity (IEC) was evaluated for PEM fuel cell (PEMFC) applications.

  4. Highly efficient solar vapour generation via hierarchically nanostructured gels.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Fei; Zhou, Xingyi; Shi, Ye; Qian, Xin; Alexander, Megan; Zhao, Xinpeng; Mendez, Samantha; Yang, Ronggui; Qu, Liangti; Yu, Guihua

    2018-04-02

    Solar vapour generation is an efficient way of harvesting solar energy for the purification of polluted or saline water. However, water evaporation suffers from either inefficient utilization of solar energy or relies on complex and expensive light-concentration accessories. Here, we demonstrate a hierarchically nanostructured gel (HNG) based on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polypyrrole (PPy) that serves as an independent solar vapour generator. The converted energy can be utilized in situ to power the vaporization of water contained in the molecular meshes of the PVA network, where water evaporation is facilitated by the skeleton of the hydrogel. A floating HNG sample evaporated water with a record high rate of 3.2 kg m -2  h -1 via 94% solar energy from 1 sun irradiation, and 18-23 litres of water per square metre of HNG was delivered daily when purifying brine water. These values were achievable due to the reduced latent heat of water evaporation in the molecular mesh under natural sunlight.

  5. Highly efficient solar vapour generation via hierarchically nanostructured gels

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, Fei; Zhou, Xingyi; Shi, Ye; Qian, Xin; Alexander, Megan; Zhao, Xinpeng; Mendez, Samantha; Yang, Ronggui; Qu, Liangti; Yu, Guihua

    2018-06-01

    Solar vapour generation is an efficient way of harvesting solar energy for the purification of polluted or saline water. However, water evaporation suffers from either inefficient utilization of solar energy or relies on complex and expensive light-concentration accessories. Here, we demonstrate a hierarchically nanostructured gel (HNG) based on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polypyrrole (PPy) that serves as an independent solar vapour generator. The converted energy can be utilized in situ to power the vaporization of water contained in the molecular meshes of the PVA network, where water evaporation is facilitated by the skeleton of the hydrogel. A floating HNG sample evaporated water with a record high rate of 3.2 kg m-2 h-1 via 94% solar energy from 1 sun irradiation, and 18-23 litres of water per square metre of HNG was delivered daily when purifying brine water. These values were achievable due to the reduced latent heat of water evaporation in the molecular mesh under natural sunlight.

  6. Repair of articular cartilage and subchondral defects in rabbit knee joints with a polyvinyl alcohol/nano-hydroxyapatite/polyamide 66 biological composite material.

    PubMed

    Guo, Tao; Tian, Xiaobin; Li, Bo; Yang, Tianfu; Li, Yubao

    2017-11-15

    This study sought to prepare a new PVA/n-HA/PA66 composite to investigate the repair of articular cartilage and subchondral defects in rabbit knee joints. A 5 × 5 × 5 mm-sized defect was created in the patellofemoral joints of 72 healthy adult New Zealand rabbits. The rabbits were then randomly divided into three groups (n = 24): PVA/n-HA+PA66 group, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) group, and control (untreated) group. Cylindrical PVA/n-HA+PA66, 5 × 5 mm, comprised an upper PVA layer and a lower n-HA+PA66 layer. Macroscopic and histological evaluations were performed at 4, 8, 12, and 24 weeks, postoperatively. Type II collagen was measured by immunohistochemical staining. The implant/cartilage and bone interfaces were observed by scanning electron microscopy. At 24 weeks postoperatively, the lower PVA/n-HA+PA66 layer became surrounded by cartilage, with no obvious degeneration. In the PVA group, an enlarged space was observed between the implant and the host tissue that had undergone degeneration. In the control group, the articular cartilage had become calcified. In the PVA/n-HA+PA66 group, positive type II collagen staining was observed between the composite and the surrounding cartilage and on the implant surface. In the PVA group, positive staining was slightly increased between the PVA and the surrounding cartilage, but reduced on the PVA surface. In the control group, reduced staining was observed throughout. Scanning electron microscopy showed increased bone tissue in the lower n-HA+PA66 layer that was in close approximation with the upper PVA layer of the composite. In the PVA group, the bone tissue around the material had receded, and in the control group, the defect was filled with bone tissue, while the superior aspect of the defect was filled with disordered, fibrous tissue. The diphase biological composite material PVA/n-HA+PA66 exhibits good histocompatibility and offers a satisfactory substitute for articular cartilage and subchondral bone.

  7. Morphological influence of cellulose nanoparticles (CNs) from cottonseed hulls on rheological properties of polyvinyl alcohol/CN suspensions

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    This work aims to extract and characterize fibrous, rod-like and spherical cellulose nanoparticles (CNs) from cottonseed hull and to investigate the structure-morphology-rheology relationships. The rheological behavior of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/CNs suspensions was also examined to guide the solve...

  8. Biomimetic Hydrogel Materials

    DOEpatents

    Bertozzi, Carolyn , Mukkamala, Ravindranath , Chen, Oing , Hu, Hopin , Baude, Dominique

    2003-04-22

    Novel biomimetic hydrogel materials and methods for their preparation. Hydrogels containing acrylamide-functionalized carbohydrate, sulfoxide, sulfide or sulfone copolymerized with a hydrophilic or hydrophobic copolymerizing material selected from the group consisting of an acrylamide, methacrylamide, acrylate, methacrylate, vinyl and a derivative thereof present in concentration from about 1 to about 99 wt %. and methods for their preparation. The method of use of the new hydrogels for fabrication of soft contact lenses and biomedical implants.

  9. Biomimetic hydrogel materials

    DOEpatents

    Bertozzi, Carolyn; Mukkamala, Ravindranath; Chen, Qing; Hu, Hopin; Baude, Dominique

    2000-01-01

    Novel biomimetic hydrogel materials and methods for their preparation. Hydrogels containing acrylamide-functionalized carbohydrate, sulfoxide, sulfide or sulfone copolymerized with a hydrophilic or hydrophobic copolymerizing material selected from the group consisting of an acrylamide, methacrylamide, acrylate, methacrylate, vinyl and a derivative thereof present in concentration from about 1 to about 99 wt %. and methods for their preparation. The method of use of the new hydrogels for fabrication of soft contact lenses and biomedical implants.

  10. Disk Refining and Ultrasonication Treated Sugarcane Bagasse Residues for Poly(Vinyl Alcohol) Bio-composites

    Treesearch

    Qingzheng Cheng; Zhaohui Tong; Luisa Dempere; Lonnie Ingram; Letian Wang; J.Y. Zhu

    2013-01-01

    Disk refining and ultrasonication treated sugarcane bagasse residues reclaimed from the waste stream of a simplified bioethanol process after fermentation were used to fabricate biobased composites with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) by film casting. The morphologies and the size distributions of residue particles were characterized by scanning electronic microscopy and...

  11. Properties of electrospun pollock gelatin/poly(vinyl alcohol) and pollock gelatin/poly(lactic acid) fibers

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Pollock gelatin/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) fibers were electrospun using deionized water as the solvent and pollock gelatin/poly(lactic acid) (PLA) fibers were electrospun using 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol (HFIP) as the solvent. The chemical, thermal, and thermal stability properties were exami...

  12. Amine-functionalized PVA-co-PE nanofibrous membrane as affinity membrane with high adsorption capacity for bilirubin.

    PubMed

    Wang, Wenwen; Zhang, Hao; Zhang, Zhifeng; Luo, Mengying; Wang, Yuedan; Liu, Qiongzhen; Chen, Yuanli; Li, Mufang; Wang, Dong

    2017-02-01

    In this study, poly(vinyl alcohol-co-ethylene) (PVA-co-PE) nanofibrous membrane was activated by sodium hydroxide and cyanuric chloride, and then the activated membranes were functionalized by 1,3-propanediamine, hexamethylenediamine and diethylenetriamine to be affinity membranes for bilirubin removal, respectively. The chemical structures and morphologies of membranes were investigated by SEM, FTIR and XPS. And the adsorption ability of different amine-functionalized nanofibrous membranes for bilirubin was characterized. Furthermore, the effects of temperature, initial concentration of bilirubin, NaCl concentration and BSA concentration on the adsorption capacity for bilirubin of diethylenetriamine-functionalized nanofibrous membrane were studied. Results indicated that the adsorption capacity for bilirubin of diethylenetriamine-functionalized nanofibrous membrane could reach 85mg/g membrane when the initial bilirubin concentration was 200mg/L while the adsorption capacity could be increased to 110mg/g membrane if the initial bilirubin concentration was more than 400mg/L. The dynamic adsorption of diethylenetriamine-functionalized nanofibrous membrane showed that the ligands of amine groups on the membrane surface could be used as far as possible by recirculating the plasma with certain flow rates. Therefore, the diethylenetriamine-functionalized PVA-co-PE nanofibrous membrane possessed high adsorption capacity for bilirubin and it can be candidate as affinity membrane for bilirubin removal. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  13. A radiation-sensitive monomer of 2,4-hexadiyn-1,6-bis(p-toluene sulphonyl urethane) in PVA as a radiochromic film dosimeter

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Soliman, Yasser S.; Abdel-Fattah, A. A.; Hamed, A. A.; Bayomi, A. M. M.

    2018-03-01

    A conjugated monomer 2,4-hexadiyn-1,6-bis(p-toluene sulphonyl urethane) (HDTU) was synthesized. Thereafter, it was incorporated into polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and coated on self-adhesive sheet, thus to prepare film dosimeters. The monomer and films were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), FTIR spectroscopy and specular reflectance colorimetry. This monomer polymerizes in the films by radiation and turns progressively blue in proportion to absorbed dose, indicating the formation of π-conjugated colored poly-HDTU. Color development was investigated at 480 nm and 610 nm for dose monitoring ranging from 10 Gy to 15 kGy. HDTU in PVA film is highly ordered and crystalline and, upon irradiation, it forms a semi-crystalline polymer with nearly the same interplanar distances as the monomer, indicating the occurrence of topochemical polymerization. During irradiation, polymerization of the monomer is nearly independent of humidity in the range of 0-53% and temperature in the range of 25-45 °C. The uncertainty of this system is 5.16% at 95% confidence level.

  14. Bioadhesive hydrogels for cosmetic applications.

    PubMed

    Parente, M E; Ochoa Andrade, A; Ares, G; Russo, F; Jiménez-Kairuz, Á

    2015-10-01

    The use of bioadhesive hydrogels for skin care presents important advantages such as long residence times on the application site and reduced product administration frequency. The aim of the present work was to develop bioadhesive hydrogels for skin application, using caffeine as a model active ingredient. Eight hydrogels were formulated using binary combinations of a primary polymer (carbomer homopolymer type C (Carbopol(®) 980) or kappa carrageenan potassium salt (Gelcarin(®) GP-812 NF)) and a secondary polymer (carbomer copolymer type B (Pemulen(™) TR-1), xanthan gum or guar gum). Hydrogels were characterized by means of physico-chemical (dynamic rheological measurements, spreadability and adhesion measurements) and sensory methods (projective mapping in combination with a check-all-that-apply (CATA) question). Caffeine hydrogels were formulated using two of the most promising formulations regarding adhesion properties and sensory characteristics. In vitro active ingredient release studies were carried out. Hydrogel formulations showed a prevalently elastic rheological behaviour. Complex viscosity of carbomer homopolymer type C hydrogels was higher than that of the kappa carrageenan hydrogels. Besides, complex viscosity values were dependent on the secondary polymer present in the formulation. Significant differences among hydrogels were found in detachment force, work of adhesion and spreading diameter results. Association of projective mapping with CATA allowed to determine similarities and dissimilarities among samples. Cluster analysis associated the samples in two groups. Two hydrogels were selected to study the release of caffeine. Both hydrogels presented similar release profiles which were well described by the Higuchi model. Caffeine release was exclusively controlled by a diffusive process. Physico-chemical and sensory techniques enabled the identification of bioadhesive hydrogel formulations with positive characteristics for cosmetic applications

  15. Enhancing the Properties of Conductive Polymer Hydrogels by Freeze-Thaw Cycles for High-Performance Flexible Supercapacitors.

    PubMed

    Li, Wanwan; Lu, Han; Zhang, Ning; Ma, Mingming

    2017-06-14

    We report that a postsynthesis physical process (freeze-thaw cycles) can reform the microstructure of conductive polymer hydrogels from clustered nanoparticles to interconnected nanosheets, leading to enhanced mechanical and electrochemical properties. The polyaniline-poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel after five freeze-thaw cycles (PPH-5) showed remarkable tensile strength (16.3 MPa), large elongation at break (407%), and high electrochemical capacitance (1053 F·g -1 ). The flexible supercapacitor based on PPH-5 provided a large capacitance (420 mF·cm -2 and 210 F·g -1 ) and high energy density (18.7 W·h·kg -1 ), whose robustness was demonstrated by its 100% capacitance retention after 1000 galvanostatic charge-discharge cycles or after 1000 mechanical folding cycles. The outstanding performance enables PPH-5 based supercapacitor as a promising power device for flexible electronics, which also demonstrates the merit of freeze-thaw cycles for enhancing the performance of functional hydrogels.

  16. Preparation and properties of nanometer silk fibroin peptide/polyvinyl alcohol blend films for cell growth.

    PubMed

    Luo, Qin; Chen, Zhongmin; Hao, Xuefei; Zhu, Qiangsong; Zhou, Yucheng

    2013-10-01

    Nanometer silk fibroin peptide (Nano-SFP) was prepared from silkworm cocoons through the process of dissolution, dialysis and enzymolysis. For comparison, silk fibroin was decomposed with α-chymotrypsin, trypsin and neutrase, respectively. From the SEM and particle size analysis results, the Nano-SFP prepared by neutrase was found to be the most desirable at about 50-200 nm. Nano-SFP/polyvinyl alcohol films (Nano-SFP/PVA) were prepared by blending Nano-SFP and PVA in water with different weight ratios of 10/90, 20/80, 30/70, and 40/60. The films were characterized by IR, SEM, TG, DSC and tensile strength test for investigating their structure, surface morphology, thermostability, and mechanical property. The results showed that Nano-SFP inserted in the PVA films with small linear particles, and Nano-SFP/PVA films exhibited smooth surface, good thermostability and tensile strength. The growth of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells on films with and without Nano-SFP was investigated with MTT colorimetric assay to assess the films' ability to promote cell growth. It was observed that the Nano-SFP improved cell adhesion on the film surface, and the ability of promoting cell growth increased with the increasing content of Nano-SFP in the blend films. Nano-SFP/PVA film with the ratio of 30/70 was concluded to have the best properties. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Improvement of Starch Digestion Using α-Amylase Entrapped in Pectin-Polyvinyl Alcohol Blend

    PubMed Central

    Cruz, Maurício; Fernandes, Kátia; Cysneiros, Cristine; Nassar, Reginaldo; Caramori, Samantha

    2015-01-01

    Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and pectin blends were used to entrap α-amylase (Termamyl) using glutaraldehyde as a cross-linker. The effect of glutaraldehyde concentration (0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1.0, and 1.25%) on the activity of the immobilized enzyme and rate of enzyme released was tested during a 24 h period. Characteristics of the material, such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), tensile strength (TS), elongation, and rate of dissolution in water (pH 5.7), ruminal buffering solution (pH 7.0), and reactor containing 0.1 mol L−1 sodium phosphate buffer (pH 6.5), were also analyzed. SEM results showed that the surfaces of the pectin/PVA/amylase films were highly irregular and rough. TS values increased as a function of glutaraldehyde concentration, whereas percentage of elongation (%E) decreased. Pectin/PVA/amylase films presented similar values of solubility in the tested solvents. The material obtained with 0.25% glutaraldehyde performed best with repeated use (active for 24 h), in a phosphate buffer reactor. By contrast, the material obtained with 1.25% glutaraldehyde presented higher performance during in vitro testing using an artificial rumen. The results suggest that pectin/PVA/amylase is a highly promising material for biotechnological applications. PMID:25949991

  18. Investigation on microstructure and mechanical properties of Mo2FeB2 based cermets with and without PVA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shen, Yupeng; Huang, Zhifu; Jian, Yongxin; Yang, Ming; Li, Kemin

    2018-03-01

    Mo2FeB2 based cermets with and without PVA have been investigated by x-ray diffractometry (XRD), x-ray photoelectron spectroscope (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The density and transverse rupture strength (TRS) of green compact, relative density, hardness (HRA), fracture toughness (KIC) and TRS of Mo2FeB2 based cermets were also measured. The results indicate that, compared with the Mo2FeB2 based cermets without PVA, the density of green compact with PVA can be improved slightly at the same pressure. However, the much higher TRS is obtained for the green compact without PVA. Meanwhile, Mo2FeB2 particles exhibit the finer and less congruity feature for Mo2FeB2 based cermets without PVA. In addition, the higher relative density, hardness, fracture toughness and TRS can be acquired for the cermets without PVA. Obviously, considering the mechanical properties and preparation period of Mo2FeB2 based cermets, no adding PVA is the optimized process of powder molding in the manufacture of Mo2FeB2 based cermets.

  19. Evaluation of synthesized cross linked polyvinyl alcohol as potential disintegrant.

    PubMed

    Patel, Ashok R; Vavia, Pradeep R

    2010-01-01

    The present study deals with evaluation of crosslinked poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) as a potential disintegrant. Crosslinking of PVA was carried out using glutaraldehyde as a crosslinker, in presence of acidic conditions. The crosslinking reaction was optimized for a) polymer: crosslinker ratio; b) temperature requirement and c) reaction duration. Certain physical parameters of the disintegrant (including sedimentation volume, hydration capacity, specific surface area and bulk and tap density) were determined and compared to the known disintegrants. Characterization was carried out using FT-IR, DSC, XRD, SEM and Photo microscopy studies. The developed excipient was also studied for acute toxicity in rats and found to be safe for oral use. Disintegration property of formed product was compared to known disintegrant (Ac-Di-Sol) and it was found to give better results. The disintegration mechanism of developed disintegrant was postulated based on results obtained from various physical evaluations including: Study of effect of disintegrant concentration, fillers, and hardness, mode of incorporation and method of granulation on disintegration activity. By changing the condition parameters of well known crosslinking reaction of PVA, we obtained a crosslinked product which had excellent disintegration activity, good flow and optimal tableting properties.

  20. Modification of fluorescence and optical properties of Rhodamine B dye doped PVA/Chitosan polymer blend films

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Padmakumari, R.; Ravindrachary, V.; Mahantesha, B. K.; Sagar, Rohan N.; Sahanakumari, R.; Bhajantri, R. F.

    2018-05-01

    Pure and Rhodamine B doped Poly (vinyl alcohol)/Chitosan composite films are prepared using solution casting method. Fourier transforms infrared spectra (FTIR), Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis), fluorescence studies were used to characterize the prepared polymer films. The FT-IR results show that the appearance of new peaks along with shift in peak positions indicates the interaction of Rhodamine B with PVA-CS blend. Optical absorption edge, band gap and activation energy were determined from UV-Visible studies. The optical absorption edge increases, band gap decreases and activation energy increases with dopant concentration respectively. The corresponding emission spectra were studied using fluorescence spectroscopy. From the fluorescence study the quenching phenomena are observed in emission wavelength range of 607nm-613nm upon excitation with absorption maxima 443nm.

  1. Cell-laden hydrogel/titanium microhybrids: Site-specific cell delivery to metallic implants for improved integration.

    PubMed

    Koenig, Geraldine; Ozcelik, Hayriye; Haesler, Lisa; Cihova, Martina; Ciftci, Sait; Dupret-Bories, Agnes; Debry, Christian; Stelzle, Martin; Lavalle, Philippe; Vrana, Nihal Engin

    2016-03-01

    Porous titanium implants are widely used in dental, orthopaedic and otorhinolaryngology fields to improve implant integration to host tissue. A possible step further to improve the integration with the host is the incorporation of autologous cells in porous titanium structures via cell-laden hydrogels. Fast gelling hydrogels have advantageous properties for in situ applications such as localisation of specific cells and growth factors at a target area without dispersion. The ability to control the cell types in different regions of an implant is important in applications where the target tissue (i) has structural heterogeneity (multiple cell types with a defined spatial configuration with respect to each other); (ii) has physical property gradients essential for its function (such as in the case of osteochondral tissue transition). Due to their near immediate gelation, such gels can also be used for site-specific modification of porous titanium structures, particularly for implants which would face different tissues at different locations. Herein, we describe a step by step design of a model system: the model cell-laden gel-containing porous titanium implants in the form of titanium microbead/hydrogel (maleimide-dextran or maleimide-PVA based) microhybrids. These systems enable the determination of the effect of titanium presence on gel properties and encapsulated cell behaviour as a miniaturized version of full-scale implants, providing a system compatible with conventional analysis methods. We used a fibroblast/vascular endothelial cell co-cultures as our model system and by utilising single microbeads we have quantified the effect of gel microenvironment (degradability, presence of RGD peptides within gel formulation) on cell behaviour and the effect of the titanium presence on cell behaviour and gel formation. Titanium presence slightly changed gel properties without hindering gel formation or affecting cell viability. Cells showed a preference to move towards

  2. Crack Healing Performance of PVA-Coated Granules Made of Cement, CSA, and Na2CO3 in the Cement Matrix

    PubMed Central

    Lee, Yong-Soo; Ryou, Jae-Suk

    2016-01-01

    Various self-healing methods for concrete, such as the use of supplementary cementitious materials, adhesive agents, mineral admixtures, and bacteria, have been suggested to date, and each of these has merits and demerits. Among these, however, the use of cementitious materials may be appropriate due to their good healing efficiency, low cost, and compatibility with the cement matrix. In this study, granulation and coating methods were applied to a new cementitious composite material. The self-healing property of these materials was controlled by the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) coating until cracks were created. Water dissolved the PVA coating after entering through the cracks, and reacted with the healing materials to generate healing products. The self-healing performance was evaluated at various elapsed times through the measurement of the crack widths, visual observation, and examination of the microscopic images. Simultaneously, a water permeability test was performed and the dynamic modulus of elasticity was measured to verify the recovery of the cracks. In addition, the healing products that had been formed in the cracks were analyzed via X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). PMID:28773677

  3. An experimental-finite element analysis on the kinetic energy absorption capacity of polyvinyl alcohol sponge.

    PubMed

    Karimi, Alireza; Navidbakhsh, Mahdi; Razaghi, Reza

    2014-06-01

    Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) sponge is in widespread use for biomedical and tissue engineering applications owing to its biocompatibility, availability, relative cheapness, and excellent mechanical properties. This study reports a novel concept of design in energy absorbing materials which consist in the use of PVA sponge as an alternative reinforcement material to enhance the energy loss of impact loads. An experimental study is carried out to measure the mechanical properties of the PVA sponge under uniaxial loading. The kinetic energy absorption capacity of the PVA sponge is computed by a hexahedral finite element (FE) model of the steel ball and bullet through the LS-DYNA code under impact load at three different thicknesses (5, 10, 15mm). The results show that a higher sponge thickness invokes a higher energy loss of the steel ball and bullet. The highest energy loss of the steel ball and bullet is observed for the thickest sponge with 160 and 35J, respectively. The most common type of traumatic brain injury in which the head subject to impact load causes the brain to move within the skull and consequently brain hemorrhaging. These results suggest the application of the PVA sponge as a great kinetic energy absorber material compared to commonly used expanded polystyrene foams (EPS) to absorb most of the impact energy and reduces the transmitted load. The results might have implications not only for understanding of the mechanical properties of PVA sponge but also for use as an alternative reinforcement material in helmet and packaging material design. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Poly(vinyl alcohol)/cellulose nanofibril hybrid aerogels with an aligned microtubular porous structure and their composites with polydimethylsiloxane

    Treesearch

    Tianliang Zhai; Qifeng Zheng; Zhiyong Cai; Lih-Sheng Turng; Hesheng Xia; Shaoqin Gong

    2015-01-01

    Superhydrophobic poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/ cellulose nanofibril (CNF) aerogels with a unidirectionally aligned microtubular porous structure were prepared using a unidirectional freeze-drying process, followed by the thermal chemical vapor deposition of methyltrichlorosilane. The silanized aerogels were characterized using various techniques including scanning...

  5. Relative humidity sensor based on surface plasmon resonance of D-shaped fiber with polyvinyl alcohol embedding Au grating

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yan, Haitao; Han, Daofu; Li, Ming; Lin, Bo

    2017-01-01

    This paper presents the design, fabrication, and characterization of a D-shaped fiber coated with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) embedding an Au grating-based relative humidity (RH) sensor. The Au grating is fabricated on a D-shaped fiber to match the wave-vector and excite the surface plasmon, and the PVA is embedded in the Au grating as a sensitive cladding film. The refractive index of PVA changes with the ambient humidity. Measurements in a controlled environment show that the RH sensor can achieve a sensitivity of 5.4 nm per relative humidity unit in the RH range from 0% to 70% RH. Moreover, the surface plasmon resonance can be realized and used for RH sensing at the C band of optical fiber communication instead of the visible light band due to the metallic grating microstructure on the D-shaped fiber.

  6. Chitin-natural clay nanotubes hybrid hydrogel.

    PubMed

    Liu, Mingxian; Zhang, Yun; Li, Jingjing; Zhou, Changren

    2013-07-01

    Novel hybrid hydrogel was synthesized from chitin NaOH/urea aqueous solution in presence of halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) via crosslinking with epichlorohydrin. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra and atomic force microscopy (AFM) results confirmed the interfacial interactions in the chitin-HNTs hybrid hydrogel. The compressive strength and shear modulus of chitin hydrogel were significantly increased by HNTs as shown in the static compressive experiment and rheology measurement. The hybrid hydrogels showed highly porous microstructures by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The swelling ratio of chitin hydrogel decreased because of the addition of HNTs. The malachite green's absorption experiment result showed that the hybrid hydrogel exhibited much higher absorption rate than the pure chitin hydrogel. The prepared hybrid hydrogel had potential applications in waste treatment and biomedical areas. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Experimental investigations on potassium permanganate doped polyvinyl alcohol - polyvinyl pyrrolidone blend

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Veena, G.; Lobo, Blaise

    2018-04-01

    Potassium permanganate (KMnO4) doped polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) - polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) blend films were prepared by solution casting technique, in the doping range varying from 0.01 wt % up to 4.70 wt %. The microstructural changes caused by doping, and the modified properties of these films were studied using Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) and temperature dependent direct current (DC) electrical measurements. Temperature variation of electrical resistivity was found to obey Arrhenius relation, from which activation energy was determined. The study was supported by AFM scans, which showed an increase in surface roughness and the presence of spike-like structures, due to interaction of dopant with the polymeric blend. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) scans revealed two stages of degradation in KMnO4 doped PVA - PVP blend films.

  8. Enhanced absorption of microwave radiations through flexible polyvinyl alcohol-carbon black/barium hexaferrite composite films

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kumar, Sushil; Datt, Gopal; Santhosh Kumar, A.; Abhyankar, A. C.

    2016-10-01

    Flexible microwave absorber composite films of carbon black (CB)/barium hexaferrite nano-discs (BaF) in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) matrix, fabricated by gel casting, exhibit ˜99.5% attenuation of electromagnetic waves in the entire 8-18 GHz (X and Ku-band) range. The X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy studies confirm the formation of CB-BaF-PVA composite films. The electromagnetic absorption properties of composite films are found to be enhanced with CB content due to the synergetic effect of multiple dielectric and magnetic losses. The 25 wt. % CB grafted PVA-BaF flexible composite films with a thickness of ˜ 2 mm exhibit effective electromagnetic shielding of 23.6 dB with a dominant contribution from absorption mechanism (SEA ˜ 21 dB). The dielectric properties of composite films are further discussed by using the Debye model. The detailed analysis reveals that major contribution to dielectric losses is from dipolar and interfacial polarizations, whereas magnetic losses are predominantly from domain wall displacement.

  9. Binary PVA bio-nanocomposites containing cellulose nanocrystals extracted from different natural sources: part I.

    PubMed

    Fortunati, E; Puglia, D; Luzi, F; Santulli, C; Kenny, J M; Torre, L

    2013-09-12

    PVA bio-nanocomposites reinforced with cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) extracted from commercial microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) and from two types of natural fibres, Phormium tenax and Flax of the Belinka variety, were produced by solvent casting in water. Morphological, thermal, mechanical and transparency properties were studied while the respective efficiency of the extraction process of CNC from the three sources was evaluated. The effect of CNC types and content on PVA properties and water absorption capacity were also evaluated. Natural fibres offered higher levels of extraction efficiency when compared with MCC hydrolysis yield. Thermal analysis proved that CNC promotes the crystallization of the PVA matrix, while improving its plastic response. It was also clarified that all PVA/CNC systems remain transparent due to CNC dispersion at the nanoscale, while being all saturated after the first 18-24h of water absorption. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Injectable glycosaminoglycan-protein nano-complex in semi-interpenetrating networks: A biphasic hydrogel for hyaline cartilage regeneration.

    PubMed

    Radhakrishnan, Janani; Subramanian, Anuradha; Sethuraman, Swaminathan

    2017-11-01

    Articular hyaline cartilage regeneration remains challenging due to its less intrinsic reparability. The study develops injectable biphasic semi-interpenetrating polymer networks (SIPN) hydrogel impregnated with chondroitin sulfate (ChS) nanoparticles for functional cartilage restoration. ChS loaded zein nanoparticles (∼150nm) prepared by polyelectrolyte-protein complexation were interspersed into injectable SIPNs developed by blending alginate with poly(vinyl alcohol) and calcium crosslinking. The hydrogel exhibited interconnected porous microstructure (39.9±5.8μm pore diameter, 57.7±5.9% porosity), 92% swellability and >350Pa elastic modulus. Primary chondrocytes compatibility, chondrocyte-matrix interaction with cell-cell clustering and spheroidal morphology was demonstrated in ChS loaded hydrogel and long-term (42days) proliferation was also determined. Higher fold expression of cartilage-specific genes sox9, aggrecan and collagen-II was observed in ChS loaded hydrogel while exhibiting poor expression of collagen-I. Immunoblotting of aggregan and collagen II demonstrate favorable positive influence of ChS on chondrocytes. Thus, the injectable biphasic SIPNs could be promising composition-mimetic substitute for cartilage restoration at irregular defects. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Refractive index engineering of poly (vinyl alcohol)/Li2ZnO2 nanocomposites: Effect of filler content and annealing temperature

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Subramani, Nithin Kundachira; Shivanna, Sachhidananda; Nagaraj, Shilpa Kasargod; Siddaramaiah, Hatna

    2018-04-01

    Herein, we report the successful formulation and refractive index (RI) engineering of poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) films with varying amounts viz., 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 wt% lithium zincate (Li2ZnO2) nanoparticles. The as developed nanocomposite (NC) films were structurally characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (P-XRD) studies, that validate the presence of Li2ZnO2 nanofillers in PVA host. While, Li2ZnO2 nanofiller induced changes in morphological behaviors were validated from scanning electron microscopic (SEM) studies. The UV - visible transmittance studies narrate excellent UV (< 400 nm) harvesting abilities of NC films, in conjunction with a near complete visible (> 400 nm) transmittance. The transmittance intensity was found to exhibit a monotonic decrease with nanofiller content, especially in the UV regions. The absorption edges were found to be down-shifted towards lower energy values exhibiting a minimum of 4.42 eV for PVA/4 wt% Li2ZnO2 NC film. Further, the RI of the PVA films showed a gradual increase from 1.72 to 2.21 with an increase in filling levels (FLs) from 0 to 4 wt%. The effect of annealing on optical transmittance and RI of PVA films were also studied at different temperatures. The PVA/Li2ZnO2 NC films were also studied for their light emitting functionalities.

  12. One-pot Synthesis and Surface Modification of Fe3O4 Nanoparticles Using Polyvinyl Alcohol by Coprecipitation and Ultrasonication Methods

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nugraha, Aditya D.; Wulandari, Ika O.; Hutami Rahayu, L. B.; Riva'i, Imam; Santojo, D. J. Djoko H.; Sabarudin, Akhmad

    2018-01-01

    Among the various substances developed through nanoparticles, iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticle is one of the substances that have been widely used in various fields such as industry, agriculture, biotechnology and biomedicine. The synthesis of Fe3O4 nanoparticle can be carried out by two methods, consist of chemical and mechanical synthesis methods. Coprecipitation is one of the most commonly used methods for chemical synthesis. Fe3O4 compounds are easily oxidized because they are amphoteric. To avoid the continuous oxidation process, chemical modification process should be carried out with the addition of a solution of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). In this study, PVA-coated Fe3O4 nanoparticles were synthesized by in-situ coprecipitation and ultrasonication methods through direct mixing (one-pot synthesis) of the iron (II) chloride tetrahydrate (FeCl2.4H2O), iron (III) chloride hexahydrate (FeCl3.6H2O), and PVA under alkaline condition. The effects of addition amount of NH3solution (by adjusting its flow rate using automated syringe pump) and PVA concentration were gently studied. Interaction of PVA with Fe3O4 nanoparticle was identified by infrared spectroscopy whereas lattice parameters and crystallite sizes of the synthesized Fe3O4 nanoparticles and PVA-coated Fe3O4 nanoparticles were assessed by X-ray diffraction (XRD).

  13. The Formation Mechanism of Hydrogels.

    PubMed

    Lu, Liyan; Yuan, Shiliang; Wang, Jing; Shen, Yun; Deng, Shuwen; Xie, Luyang; Yang, Qixiang

    2017-06-12

    Hydrogels are degradable polymeric networks, in which cross-links play a vital role in structure formation and degradation. Cross-linking is a stabilization process in polymer chemistry that leads to the multi-dimensional extension of polymeric chains, resulting in network structures. By cross-linking, hydrogels are formed into stable structures that differ from their raw materials. Generally, hydrogels can be prepared from either synthetic or natural polymers. Based on the types of cross-link junctions, hydrogels can be categorized into two groups: the chemically cross-linked and the physically cross-linked. Chemically cross-linked gels have permanent junctions, in which covalent bonds are present between different polymer chains, thus leading to excellent mechanical strength. Although chemical cross-linking is a highly resourceful method for the formation of hydrogels, the cross-linkers used in hydrogel preparation should be extracted from the hydrogels before use, due to their reported toxicity, while, in physically cross-linked gels, dissolution is prevented by physical interactions, such as ionic interactions, hydrogen bonds or hydrophobic interactions. Physically cross-linked methods for the preparation of hydrogels are the alternate solution for cross-linker toxicity. Both methods will be discussed in this essay. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

  14. Dancing on coke: smuggling cocaine dispersed in polyvinyl alcohol.

    PubMed

    van Nuijs, Alexander L N; Maudens, Kristof E; Lambert, Willy E; Van Calenbergh, Serge; Risseeuw, Martijn D P; Van hee, Paul; Covaci, Adrian; Neels, Hugo

    2012-01-01

    Recent trends suggest that cocaine smugglers have become more and more inventive to avoid seizures of large amounts of cocaine transported between countries. We report a case of a mail parcel containing a dance pad which was seized at the Customs Department of Brussels Airport, Belgium. After investigation, the inside of the dance pad was found to contain a thick polymer, which tested positive for cocaine. Analysis was performed using a routine colorimetric swipe test, gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The polymer was identified as polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and contained 18% cocaine, corresponding to a street value of € 20,000. Laboratory experiments showed that cocaine could be easily extracted from the PVA matrix. This case report reveals a new smuggling technique for the transportation of large amounts of cocaine from one country to another. © 2011 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

  15. Xeno-free culture of human pluripotent stem cells on oligopeptide-grafted hydrogels with various molecular designs

    PubMed Central

    Chen, Yen-Ming; Chen, Li-Hua; Li, Meng-Pei; Li, Hsing-Fen; Higuchi, Akon; Kumar, S. Suresh; Ling, Qing-Dong; Alarfaj, Abdullah A.; Munusamy, Murugan A.; Chang, Yung; Benelli, Giovanni; Murugan, Kadarkarai; Umezawa, Akihiro

    2017-01-01

    Establishing cultures of human embryonic (ES) and induced pluripotent (iPS) stem cells in xeno-free conditions is essential for producing clinical-grade cells. Development of cell culture biomaterials for human ES and iPS cells is critical for this purpose. We designed several structures of oligopeptide-grafted poly (vinyl alcohol-co-itaconic acid) hydrogels with optimal elasticity, and prepared them in formations of single chain, single chain with joint segment, dual chain with joint segment, and branched-type chain. Oligopeptide sequences were selected from integrin- and glycosaminoglycan-binding domains of the extracellular matrix. The hydrogels grafted with vitronectin-derived oligopeptides having a joint segment or a dual chain, which has a storage modulus of 25 kPa, supported the long-term culture of human ES and iPS cells for over 10 passages. The dual chain and/or joint segment with cell adhesion molecules on the hydrogels facilitated the proliferation and pluripotency of human ES and iPS cells. PMID:28332572

  16. Xeno-free culture of human pluripotent stem cells on oligopeptide-grafted hydrogels with various molecular designs.

    PubMed

    Chen, Yen-Ming; Chen, Li-Hua; Li, Meng-Pei; Li, Hsing-Fen; Higuchi, Akon; Kumar, S Suresh; Ling, Qing-Dong; Alarfaj, Abdullah A; Munusamy, Murugan A; Chang, Yung; Benelli, Giovanni; Murugan, Kadarkarai; Umezawa, Akihiro

    2017-03-23

    Establishing cultures of human embryonic (ES) and induced pluripotent (iPS) stem cells in xeno-free conditions is essential for producing clinical-grade cells. Development of cell culture biomaterials for human ES and iPS cells is critical for this purpose. We designed several structures of oligopeptide-grafted poly (vinyl alcohol-co-itaconic acid) hydrogels with optimal elasticity, and prepared them in formations of single chain, single chain with joint segment, dual chain with joint segment, and branched-type chain. Oligopeptide sequences were selected from integrin- and glycosaminoglycan-binding domains of the extracellular matrix. The hydrogels grafted with vitronectin-derived oligopeptides having a joint segment or a dual chain, which has a storage modulus of 25 kPa, supported the long-term culture of human ES and iPS cells for over 10 passages. The dual chain and/or joint segment with cell adhesion molecules on the hydrogels facilitated the proliferation and pluripotency of human ES and iPS cells.

  17. Surface-coated fly ash reinforced biodegradable poly(vinyl alcohol) composite films: part 2-analysis and characterization

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nath, D. C. D.; Bandyopadhyay, S.; Campbell, J.; Yu, A.; Blackburn, D.; White, C.

    2010-12-01

    Composite films of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) reinforced with 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 wt.% surface-coated fly ash by surfactant, sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS-FA) along with 1 wt.% cross-linking agent, glutaraldehyde (GLA) were prepared by aqueous casting method. The tensile strengths of the composite films were increased proportionally with the addition of SLS-FA. The maximum 75% higher strength of the composite with 20 wt.% was achieved compared to that of neat PVA. The modulus of the composites was also increased proportionally with SLS-FA and the maximum 218% reached in composite with 20 wt.%, but the strain at break was decreased with addition of SLS-FA. Changes in FTIR spectra reflect the chemical and/or physical bonding in the ternary PVA, SLS-FA and GLA component systems. In the study of surface morphology, the connectivity was visualized in SEM images along with interstitial voids. The films with SLS-FA show 53% smoother surface calculated with AFM compared to unmodified FA composite films.

  18. Shape Memory Composites Based on Electrospun Poly(vinyl alcohol) Fibers and a Thermoplastic Polyether Block Amide Elastomer.

    PubMed

    Shirole, Anuja; Sapkota, Janak; Foster, E Johan; Weder, Christoph

    2016-03-01

    The present study aimed at developing new thermally responsive shape-memory composites, that were fabricated by compacting mats of electrospun poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) fibers and sheets of a thermoplastic polyether block amide elastomer (PEBA). This design was based on the expectation that the combination of the rubber elasticity of the PEBA matrix and the mechanical switching exploitable through the reversible glass transition temperature (Tg) of the PVA filler could be combined to create materials that display shape memory characteristics as an emergent effect. Dynamic mechanical analyses (DMA) show that, upon introduction of 10-20% w/w PVA fibers, the room-temperature storage modulus (E') increased by a factor of 4-5 in comparison to the neat PEBA, and they reveal a stepwise reduction of E' around the Tg of PVA (85 °C). This transition could indeed be utilized to fix a temporary shape and recover the permanent shape. At low strain, the fixity was 66 ± 14% and the recovery was 98 ± 2%. Overall, the data validate a simple and practical strategy for the fabrication of shape memory composites that involves a melt compaction process and employs two commercially available polymers.

  19. Finite element beam flexural properties of cement composites of fiber reinforced PVA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Chengzhi; Pei, Changchun

    2018-05-01

    In this paper, the initial cracking state and the mid span bending moment and deflection of ECC beam under different PVA fiber and fly ash mixing rate are studied by finite element simulation analysis. The results show that the bending moment of the ECC beam increases with the increase of the PVA fiber content, and the deflection decreases. When the ratio of PVA fiber is 1.5%, the middle bending moment is the largest and the deflection is the least. With the increase of fly ash content, the mid span bending moment of ECC beam increases first and then decreases. When the fly ash ratio is 60%, the middle bending moment is the largest and the deflection is the least. Through the study, the formula for calculating the flexural capacity of the cross section suitable for ECC beams is derived.

  20. Electrical study on Carboxymethyl Cellulose-Polyvinyl alcohol based bio-polymer blend electrolytes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Saadiah, M. A.; Samsudin, A. S.

    2018-04-01

    The present work deals with the formulation of bio-materials namely carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) for bio-polymer blend electrolytes (BBEs) system which was successfully carried out with different ratio of polymer blend. The biopolymer blend was prepared via economical & classical technique that is solution casting technique and was characterized by using impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The ionic conductivity was achieved to optimum value 9.12 x 10-6 S/cm at room temperature for sample containing ratio 80:20 of CMC:PVA. The highest conducting sample was found to obey the Arrhenius behaviour with a function of temperature. The electrical properties were analyzed using complex permittivity ε* and complex electrical modulus M* for BBEs system and it shows the non-Debye characteristics where no single relaxation time has observed.

  1. Physical and Antimicrobial Properties of Starch-PVA Blend Films as Affected by the Incorporation of Natural Antimicrobial Agents

    PubMed Central

    Cano, Amalia; Cháfer, Maite; Chiralt, Amparo; González-Martínez, Chelo

    2015-01-01

    In this work, active films based on starch and PVA (S:PVA ratio of 2:1) were developed by incorporating neem (NO) and oregano essential oils (OEO). First, a screening of the antifungal effectiveness of different natural extracts (echinacea, horsetail extract, liquid smoke and neem seed oil) against two fungus (P. expansum and A. niger) was carried out. The effect of NO and OEO incorporation on the films’ physical and antimicrobial properties was analyzed. Only composite films containing OEO exhibited antibacterial and antifungal activity. Antibacterial activity occurred at low OEO concentration (6.7%), while antifungal effect required higher doses of OEO in the films. Incorporation of oils did not notably affect the water sorption capacity and water vapor barrier properties of S-PVA films, but reduced their transparency and gloss, especially at the highest concentrations. The mechanical response of the S-PVA films was also negatively affected by oil incorporation but this was only relevant at the highest oil ratio (22%). S-PVA films with 6.7% of OEO exhibited the best physical properties, without significant differences with respect to the S-PVA matrix, while exhibiting antibacterial activity. Thus, the use of OEO as a natural antimicrobial incorporated into starch-PVA films represents a good and novel alternative in food packaging applications. PMID:28231098

  2. Poly(n-vinylpyrrolidone) hydrogels: 2.Hydrogel composites as wound dressing for tropical environment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Himly, N.; Darwis, D.; Hardiningsih, L.

    1993-10-01

    POLY(N-VINYLPYRROLIDONE) HYDROGELS: 2. HYDROGEL COMPOSITES AS WOUND DRESSING FOR TROPICAL ENVIRONMENT. The effects of irradiation on hydration and other properties of poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) hydrogel composites have been investigated. The aqueous solution of vinylpyrrolidone (VP) 10 wt % was mixed with several additives such as agar and polyethylen glycol (PEG). The solution was then irradiated with gamma rays from Cobalt-60 source at room temperature. Several parameters such as elongation at break (EB), tensile strength (TS), degree of swelling (DS), water vapor transmission rate (WVTR), equilibrium water content (EWC), microbial growth and penetration test, and water activity (Aw) were analysed at room temperature of 29 ±2°C humidity of 80 ± 10%. Results show that elongation at break of hydrogel membranes with initial composition of VP with agar, VP with agar and PEG were 240 % and 250 % kGy, the equilibrium water content of membranes were 96 to 90%, whereas degree of swelling were 55 to 10. The WVTR of hydrogel membranes with initial composition of VP with agar and PEG was 70 g m -2h -1, while the water activity was 0.9. Such hydrogel membranes exhibits the following properties: They are elastic, transparent, flexible, impermeable for bacteria. They absopt a high capacity of water, attached to healthy skin but not to the wound and they are easy to remove. These properties of the hydrogel membranes allow for applying as a wound dressings in tropical environment.

  3. Optical, thermal and morphological study of ZnS doped PVA polymer nano composites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guruswamy, B.; Ravindrachary, V.; Shruthi, C.; Sagar, Rohan N.; Hegde, Shreedatta

    2018-05-01

    The effect of ZnS nano particle doping on optical, thermal properties and morphological study of the PVA polymer has been investigated using FTIR, UV-Visible and TGA, FESEM techniques. Nano sized ZnS particles were synthesized by a simple wet chemical route. Pure and ZnS/PVA nano composites were prepared using solution casting technique. The FTIR study confirms that the ZnS nano particles interacts with the OH group of PVA polymer and forms the complex. The formation of these complexes affects the optical and thermal properties of the composite. The changes in optical properties were studied using UV-Vis absorption method. The variation in thermal property was analysed using TGA results. The modified surface morphology analysis was carried out using FESEM.

  4. Bacterial adhesion to conventional hydrogel and new silicone-hydrogel contact lens materials.

    PubMed

    Kodjikian, Laurent; Casoli-Bergeron, Emmanuelle; Malet, Florence; Janin-Manificat, Hélène; Freney, Jean; Burillon, Carole; Colin, Joseph; Steghens, Jean-Paul

    2008-02-01

    As bacterial adhesion to contact lenses may contribute to the pathogenesis of keratitis, the aim of our study was to investigate in vitro adhesion of clinically relevant bacteria to conventional hydrogel (standard HEMA) and silicone-hydrogel contact lenses using a bioluminescent ATP assay. Four types of unworn contact lenses (Etafilcon A, Galyfilcon A, Balafilcon A, Lotrafilcon B) were incubated with Staphylococcus epidermidis (two different strains) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa suspended in phosphate buffered saline (PBS). Lenses were placed with the posterior surface facing up and were incubated in the bacterial suspension for 4 hours at 37 degrees C. Bacterial binding was then measured and studied by bioluminescent ATP assay. Six replicate experiments were performed for each lens and strain. Adhesion of all species of bacteria to standard HEMA contact lenses (Etafilcon A) was found to be significantly lower than that of three types of silicone-hydrogel contact lenses, whereas Lotrafilcon B material showed the highest level of bacterial binding. Differences between species in the overall level of adhesion to the different types of contact lenses were observed. Adhesion of P. aeruginosa was typically at least 20 times greater than that observed with both S. epidermidis strains. Conventional hydrogel contact lenses exhibit significantly lower bacterial adhesion in vitro than silicone-hydrogel ones. This could be due to the greater hydrophobicity but also to the higher oxygen transmissibility of silicone-hydrogel lenses.

  5. Novel self-assembled amphiphilic poly(epsilon-caprolactone)-grafted-poly(vinyl alcohol) nanoparticles: hydrophobic and hydrophilic drugs carrier nanoparticles.

    PubMed

    Sheikh, Faheem A; Barakat, Nasser A M; Kanjwal, Muzafar A; Aryal, Santosh; Khil, Myung Seob; Kim, Hak-Yong

    2009-03-01

    In the present study, we have aimed to produce nanoparticles (NPs) possessing the capability of carrying both of the hydrophobic and hydrophilic drugs and reveal significant release for both drug types. Poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) grafted poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) copolymer (PCL-g-PVA) has been prepared and shaped in nano-particulate form to be adequate for carrying the drugs. Stannous octoate (Sn(II)Oct(2)) was used to catalyze PVA and epsilon-caprolactone monomer to chemically bond. Moreover, this catalyst enhanced side chain polymerization reaction for the utilized epsilon-caprolactone monomer to form poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL). The formed PCL was attached as branches with PVA backbone. (1)H NMR has confirmed formation of PCL and grafting of PVA by this new polymer. Moreover, the vibration modes in the functional groups of PCL-g-PVA have been detected by FT-IR. The thermal alteration in the grafted polymer was checked by TGA analysis. The successfully synthesized grafted copolymer was able to self-aggregate into NPs by direct dialysis method. The size, morphology and charges associated with the obtained NPs were analyzed by DLS, TEM and ELS, respectively. PCL-g-PVA NPs were investigated as drug carrier models for hydrophobic and hydrophilic anti cancer drugs; paclitaxel and doxorubicin. In vitro drug release experiments were conducted; the loaded NPs reveal continuous and sustained release form for both drugs, up to 20 and 15 days for paclitaxel and doxorubicin, respectively. However, in a case of using pure drugs only, both drugs completely released within 1-2 h. The overall obtained results strongly recommend the use these novel NPs in future drug delivery systems.

  6. Surface modification of polyamide reverse osmosis membrane with sulfonated polyvinyl alcohol for antifouling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Yang; Wan, Ying; Pan, Guoyuan; Shi, Hongwei; Yan, Hao; Xu, Jian; Guo, Min; Wang, Zhe; Liu, Yiqun

    2017-10-01

    Sulfonated polyvinyl alcohol (SPVA) was synthesized by esterification reaction of PVA and sulfuric acid, and the structure was characterized by FTIR spectrum. Then a series of TFC membranes modified with cross-linked SPVA layer were fabricated by coating method, with glutaraldehyde as the cross-linker. The resulting TFC membranes were characterized by SEM, AFM, ATR-FTIR, XPS, streaming potential as well as static contact angle. The TFC membranes modified with SPVA exhibit decreased water flux and increased NaCl rejection with SPVA content increasing in the coating aqueous solution. The optimal PA-SPVA-0.5 sample exhibits a NaCl rejection of 99.18%, which is higher than the 98.32% of the virgin PA membrane. More importantly, the PA-SPVA-0.5 membrane shows much more improved fouling resistance to BSA and CTAB than virgin PA membrane and the TFC sample modified with PVA (PA-PVA-0.5). PA-SPVA-0.5 membrane loses about 8% of the initial flux after BSA fouling for 12 h, which is much lower than those of virgin PA and PA-PVA-0.5 membranes (28% and 15%, respectively). Furthermore, the flux recovery of the PA-SPVA-0.5 membrane reaches above 95% after cleaning. Thus, the PA-SPVA-0.5 membrane shows potential applications as antifouling RO membrane for desalination and purification.

  7. 78 FR 37794 - Polyvinyl Alcohol from Taiwan: Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2010-2012

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-06-24

    ... duty order on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) from Taiwan. For these final results, we continue to find that... Department published the preliminary results of the administrative review of the antidumping duty order on... review in accordance with section 751 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act). Scope of the Order...

  8. Tough photoluminescent hydrogels doped with lanthanide.

    PubMed

    Wang, Mei Xiang; Yang, Can Hui; Liu, Zhen Qi; Zhou, Jinxiong; Xu, Feng; Suo, Zhigang; Yang, Jian Hai; Chen, Yong Mei

    2015-03-01

    Photoluminescent hydrogels have emerged as novel soft materials with potential applications in many fields. Although many photoluminescent hydrogels have been fabricated, their scope of usage has been severely limited by their poor mechanical performance. Here, a facile strategy is reported for preparing lanthanide (Ln)-alginate/polyacrylamide (PAAm) hydrogels with both high toughness and photoluminescence, which has been achieved by doping Ln(3+) ions (Ln = Eu, Tb, Eu/Tb) into alginate/PAAm hydrogel networks, where Ln(3+) ions serve as both photoluminescent emitters and physical cross-linkers. The resulting hydrogels exhibit versatile advantages including excellent mechanical properties (∼ MPa strength, ≈ 20 tensile strains, ≈ 10(4) kJ m(-3) energy dissipation), good photoluminescent performance, tunable emission color, excellent processability, and cytocompatibility. The developed tough photoluminescent hydrogels hold great promises for expanding the usage scope of hydrogels. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  9. Eeonomer 200F®: A High-Performance Nanofiller for Polymer Reinforcement—Investigation of the Structure, Morphology and Dielectric Properties of Polyvinyl Alcohol/Eeonomer-200F® Nanocomposites for Embedded Capacitor Applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Deshmukh, Kalim; Ahamed, M. Basheer; Deshmukh, Rajendra R.; Sadasivuni, Kishor Kumar; Ponnamma, Deepalekshmi; Pasha, S. K. Khadheer; AlMaadeed, Mariam Al-Ali; Polu, Anji Reddy; Chidambaram, K.

    2017-04-01

    In the present study, Eeonomer 200F® was used as a high-performance nanofiller to prepare polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-based nanocomposite films using a simple and eco-friendly solution casting technique. The prepared PVA/Eeonomer nanocomposite films were further investigated using various techniques including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, polarized optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and mechanical testing. The dielectric behavior of the nanocomposites was examined over a broad frequency range from 50 Hz to 20 MHz and temperatures ranging from 40°C to 150°C. A notable improvement in the thermal stability of the PVA was observed with the incorporation of Eeonomer. The nanocomposites also demonstrated improved mechanical properties due to the fine dispersion of the Eeonomer, and good compatibility and strong interaction between the Eeonomer and the PVA matrix. A significant improvement was observed in the dielectric properties of the PVA upon the addition of Eeonomer. The nanocomposites containing 5 wt.% Eeonomer exhibited a dielectric constant of about 222.65 (50 Hz, 150°C), which was 18 times that of the dielectric constant (12.33) of neat PVA film under the same experimental conditions. These results thus indicate that PVA/Eeonomer nanocomposites can be used as a flexible high-k dielectric material for embedded capacitor applications.

  10. Trisacryl Gelatin Microspheres Versus Polyvinyl Alcohol Particles in the Preoperative Embolization of Bone Neoplasms

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Basile, Antonio; Rand, Thomas; Lomoschitz, Fritz

    2004-09-15

    The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of trisacryl gelatin microspheres versus polyvinyl alcohol particles (PVA) in the preoperative embolization of bone neoplasms, on the basis of intraoperative blood loss quantified by the differences in preoperative and postoperative hematic levels of hemoglobin, hematocrit and erythrocytes count. From January 1997 to December 2002, preoperative embolization of bone tumors (either primary or secondary) was carried out in 49 patients (age range 12/78), 20 of whom were treated with trysacril gelatin microspheres (group A) and 29 with PVA particles (group B). The delay between embolization and surgery ranged from 1more » to 13 days in group A and 1 to 4 days in group B. As used in international protocols, we considered hematic levels of hemoglobin, hematocrit and erythrocytes count for the measurement of intraoperative blood loss then the differences in pre- and postoperative levels were used as statistical comparative parameters. We compared the values of patients treated with embospheres (n = 10) and PVA (n = 18) alone, and patients treated with (group A = 10; group B = 11) versus patients treated without other additional embolic materials in each group (group A = 10; group B = 18). According to the Student's t-test (p < 0.05), the difference of hematic parameters between patients treated by embospheres and PVA alone were significant; otherwise there was no significant difference between patients treated with only one embolic material (embospheres and PVA) versus those treated with other additional embolic agents in each group. The patients treated with microspheres had a minor quantification of intraoperative blood loss compared to those who received PVA particles. Furthermore, they had a minor increase of bleeding related to the delay time between embolization and surgery. The use of additional embolic material did not improve the efficacy of the procedure in either group of patients.« less

  11. Nano-biphasic calcium phosphate/polyvinyl alcohol composites with enhanced bioactivity for bone repair via low-temperature three-dimensional printing and loading with platelet-rich fibrin.

    PubMed

    Song, Yue; Lin, Kaifeng; He, Shu; Wang, Chunmei; Zhang, Shuaishuai; Li, Donglin; Wang, Jimeng; Cao, Tianqing; Bi, Long; Pei, Guoxian

    2018-01-01

    As a newly emerging three-dimensional (3D) printing technology, low-temperature robocasting can be used to fabricate geometrically complex ceramic scaffolds at low temperatures. Here, we aimed to fabricate 3D printed ceramic scaffolds composed of nano-biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) at a low temperature without the addition of toxic chemicals. Corresponding nonprinted scaffolds were prepared using a freeze-drying method. Compared with the nonprinted scaffolds, the printed scaffolds had specific shapes and well-connected internal structures. The incorporation of PRF enabled both the sustained release of bioactive factors from the scaffolds and improved biocompatibility and biological activity toward bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) in vitro. Additionally, the printed BCP/PVA/PRF scaffolds promoted significantly better BMSC adhesion, proliferation, and osteogenic differentiation in vitro than the printed BCP/PVA scaffolds. In vivo, the printed BCP/PVA/PRF scaffolds induced a greater extent of appropriate bone formation than the printed BCP/PVA scaffolds and nonprinted scaffolds in a critical-size segmental bone defect model in rabbits. These experiments indicate that low-temperature robocasting could potentially be used to fabricate 3D printed BCP/PVA/PRF scaffolds with desired shapes and internal structures and incorporated bioactive factors to enhance the repair of segmental bone defects.

  12. A novel method for the accurate evaluation of Poisson's ratio of soft polymer materials.

    PubMed

    Lee, Jae-Hoon; Lee, Sang-Soo; Chang, Jun-Dong; Thompson, Mark S; Kang, Dong-Joong; Park, Sungchan; Park, Seonghun

    2013-01-01

    A new method with a simple algorithm was developed to accurately measure Poisson's ratio of soft materials such as polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel (PVA-H) with a custom experimental apparatus consisting of a tension device, a micro X-Y stage, an optical microscope, and a charge-coupled device camera. In the proposed method, the initial positions of the four vertices of an arbitrarily selected quadrilateral from the sample surface were first measured to generate a 2D 1st-order 4-node quadrilateral element for finite element numerical analysis. Next, minimum and maximum principal strains were calculated from differences between the initial and deformed shapes of the quadrilateral under tension. Finally, Poisson's ratio of PVA-H was determined by the ratio of minimum principal strain to maximum principal strain. This novel method has an advantage in the accurate evaluation of Poisson's ratio despite misalignment between specimens and experimental devices. In this study, Poisson's ratio of PVA-H was 0.44 ± 0.025 (n = 6) for 2.6-47.0% elongations with a tendency to decrease with increasing elongation. The current evaluation method of Poisson's ratio with a simple measurement system can be employed to a real-time automated vision-tracking system which is used to accurately evaluate the material properties of various soft materials.

  13. High flux filtration medium based on nanofibrous substrate with hydrophilic nanocomposite coating.

    PubMed

    Wang, Xuefen; Chen, Xuming; Yoon, Kyunghwan; Fang, Dufei; Hsiao, Benjamin S; Chu, Benjamin

    2005-10-01

    A novel high flux filtration medium, consisting of a three-tier composite structure, i.e., a nonporous hydrophilic nanocomposite coating top layer, an electrospun nanofibrous substrate midlayer, and a conventional nonwoven microfibrous support, was demonstrated for oil/water emulsion separations for the first time. The nanofibrous substrate was prepared by electrospinning of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) followed by chemical cross-linking with glutaraldehyde (GA) in acetone. The resulting cross-linked PVA substrates showed excellent water resistance and good mechanical properties. The top coating was based on a nanocomposite layer containing hydrophilic polyether-b-polyamide copolymer or a cross-linked PVA hydrogel incorporated with surface-oxidized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) examinations indicated that the nanocomposite layer was nonporous within the instrumental resolution and MWNTs were well dispersed in the polymer matrix. Oil/ water emulsion tests showed that this unique type of filtration media exhibited a high flux rate (up to 330 L/m2-h at the feed pressure of 100 psi) and an excellent total organic solute rejection rate (99.8%) without appreciable fouling. The increase in the concentration of surface-oxidized MWNT in the coating layer generally improves the flux rate, which can be attributed to the generation of more effective hydrophilic nanochannels for water passage in the composite membranes.

  14. Gelatin- and starch-based hydrogels. Part B: In vitro mesenchymal stem cell behavior on the hydrogels.

    PubMed

    Van Nieuwenhove, Ine; Salamon, Achim; Adam, Stefanie; Dubruel, Peter; Van Vlierberghe, Sandra; Peters, Kirsten

    2017-04-01

    Tissue regeneration often occurs only to a limited extent. By providing a three-dimensional matrix serving as a surrogate extracellular matrix that promotes adult stem cell adhesion, proliferation and differentiation, scaffold-guided tissue regeneration aims at overcoming this limitation. In this study, we applied hydrogels made from crosslinkable gelatin, the hydrolyzed form of collagen, and functionalized starch which were characterized in depth and optimized as described in Van Nieuwenhove et al., 2016. "Gelatin- and Starch-Based Hydrogels. Part A: Hydrogel Development, Characterization and Coating", Carbohydrate Polymers 152:129-39. Collagen is the main structural protein in animal connective tissue and the most abundant protein in mammals. Starch is a carbohydrate consisting of a mixture of amylose and amylopectin. Hydrogels were developed with varying chemical composition (ratio of starch to gelatin applied) and different degrees of methacrylation of the applied gelatin phase. The hydrogels used exhibited no adverse effect on viability of the stem cells cultured on them. Moreover, initial cell adhesion did not differ significantly between them, while the strongest proliferation was observed on the hydrogel with the highest degree of cross-linking. On the least crosslinked and thus most flexible hydrogels, the highest degree of adipogenic differentiation was found, while osteogenic differentiation was the strongest on the most rigid, starch-blended hydrogels. Hydrogel coating with extracellular matrix compounds aggrecan or fibronectin prior to cell seeding exhibited no significant effects. Thus, gelatin-based hydrogels can be optimized regarding maximum promotion of either adipogenic or osteogenic stem cell differentiation in vitro, which makes them promising candidates for in vivo evaluation in clinical studies aiming at either soft or hard tissue regeneration. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. VALIDATION OF AN EPA METHOD FOR THE ION CHROMATOGRAPHIC DETERMINATION OF PERCHLORATE IN FERTILIZERS USING A POLYVINYL ALCOHOL GEL RESIN.

    EPA Science Inventory

    This paper summarizes the key points of a joint study between the EPA and Metrohm-Peak, Inc., on the use of polyvinyl alcohol [PVA] columns for the ion chromatographic determination of percholorate in aqueous leachates or solutions of fertilizers. A series of fertilizer samples ...

  16. Preparation and physical properties of (PVA)0.7(NaBr)0.3(H3PO4)xM solid acid membrane for phosphoric acid – Fuel cells

    PubMed Central

    Ahmad, F.; Sheha, E.

    2012-01-01

    A solid acid membranes based on poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA), sodium bromide (NaBr) and phosphoric acid (H3PO4) were prepared by a solution casting method. The morphological, IR, electrical and optical properties of the (PVA)0.7(NaBr)0.3(H3PO4)xM solid acid membranes where x = 0.00, 0.85, 1.7, 3.4, 5.1 M were investigated. The variation of film morphology was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies. FTIR spectroscopy has been used to characterize the structure of polymer and confirms the complexation of phosphoric acid with host polymeric matrix. The temperature dependent nature of ionic conductivity and the impedance of the polymer electrolytes were determined along with the associated activation energy. The ionic conductivity at room temperature was found to be strongly depends on the H3PO4 concentration which it has been achieved to be of the order 4.3 × 10−3 S/cm at ambient temperature. Optical measurements showed a decrease in optical band gap and an increase in band tail width with the increase of phosphoric acid. The data shows that the (PVA)0.7(NaBr)0.3(H3PO4)xM solid acid membrane is promising for intermediate temperature phosphoric acid fuel cell applications. PMID:25685413

  17. Gelatin- and starch-based hydrogels. Part A: Hydrogel development, characterization and coating.

    PubMed

    Van Nieuwenhove, Ine; Salamon, Achim; Peters, Kirsten; Graulus, Geert-Jan; Martins, José C; Frankel, Daniel; Kersemans, Ken; De Vos, Filip; Van Vlierberghe, Sandra; Dubruel, Peter

    2016-11-05

    The present work aims at constructing the ideal scaffold matrix of which the physico-chemical properties can be altered according to the targeted tissue regeneration application. Ideally, this scaffold should resemble the natural extracellular matrix (ECM) as close as possible both in terms of chemical composition and mechanical properties. Therefore, hydrogel films were developed consisting of methacrylamide-modified gelatin and starch-pentenoate building blocks because the ECM can be considered as a crosslinked hydrogel network consisting of both polysaccharides and structural, signaling and cell-adhesive proteins. For the gelatin hydrogels, three different substitution degrees were evaluated including 31%, 72% and 95%. A substitution degree of 32% was applied for the starch-pentenoate building block. Pure gelatin hydrogels films as well as interpenetrating networks with gelatin and starch were developed. Subsequently, these films were characterized using gel fraction and swelling experiments, high resolution-magic angle spinning (1)H NMR spectroscopy, rheology, infrared mapping and atomic force microscopy. The results indicate that both the mechanical properties and the swelling extent of the developed hydrogel films can be controlled by varying the chemical composition and the degree of substitution of the methacrylamide-modified gelatin applied. The storage moduli of the developed materials ranged between 14 and 63kPa. Phase separation was observed for the IPNs for which separated starch domains could be distinguished located in the surrounding gelatin matrix. Furthermore, we evaluated the affinity of aggrecan for gelatin by atomic force microscopy and radiolabeling experiments. We found that aggrecan can be applied as a bioactive coating for gelatin hydrogels by a straightforward physisorption procedure. Thus, we achieved distinct fine-tuning of the physico-chemical properties of these hydrogels which render them promising candidates for tissue engineering

  18. Compositional effects on the chemorheological properties and forming behavior of aqueous alumina-poly(vinyl alcohol) gelcasting suspensions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Morissette, Sherry L.

    A new gelcasting system based on aqueous, alumina-poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) suspensions cross-linked by an organotitanate coupling agent has been developed. Both the chemorheological properties and forming behavior of this system exhibited a strong compositional dependence. A sol- gel phase diagram was established, which yielded the critical titanium concentration [Ti] c required for gelation at a given PVA volume fraction, as well as the minimum PVA volume fraction ( fminPVA = 0.0245) and titanium PVA concentration ([Ti]min = 9.984 x 10--4 g Ti/ml) below which gelation was not observed irrespective of solution composition. The gelation time of suspensions of constant PVA volume fraction ( fsolnPVA ) decreased with increasing cross-linking agent concentration, PVA temperature, and solids volume fraction. The steady-state viscosity and elastic modulus of polymer solutions ( fsolnPVA = 0.05) of varying [Ti] were well described by the PVA percolation model, giving scaling exponents of 0.84 and 1.79, respectively. The steady-state elastic modulus of gel casting suspensions, which provides a measure of their handling strength in the as-gelled state, increased with increasing solids volume fraction. Gelcasting suspensions were used as feedstock for solid free-form fabrication (SFF) of ceramic components. The influence of processing conditions (e.g., tip diameter, mixing rate, table speed, etc.) and suspension rheology on deposition behavior was investigated. Continuous printablity was achieved for tip diameters ranging from dt = 0.254 -- 1.370 mm for all mixing rates (Rmix 5 -- 300 rpm) and suspension compositions (i.e., fAl2O3 = 0.45, φPVA = 0.275, [Ti] 0 -- 6.30 x 10--3 g Ti/ml) probed, where the minimum tip diameter for continuous printing was 0.203 mm. Printed lines were uniform with good edge definition. Line dimensions were independent of mixing rate for the given process conditions. The as-cast alumina volume fraction ( fAl2O3 ) depended on casting conditions and

  19. Piezoresistive Pressure Sensor Based on Synergistical Innerconnect Polyvinyl Alcohol Nanowires/Wrinkled Graphene Film.

    PubMed

    Liu, Weijie; Liu, Nishuang; Yue, Yang; Rao, Jiangyu; Cheng, Feng; Su, Jun; Liu, Zhitian; Gao, Yihua

    2018-04-01

    Piezoresistive sensor is a promising pressure sensor due to its attractive advantages including uncomplicated signal collection, simple manufacture, economical and practical characteristics. Here, a flexible and highly sensitive pressure sensor based on wrinkled graphene film (WGF)/innerconnected polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanowires/interdigital electrodes is fabricated. Due to the synergistic effect between WGF and innerconnected PVA nanowires, the as-prepared pressure sensor realizes a high sensitivity of 28.34 kPa -1 . In addition, the device is able to discern lightweight rice about 22.4 mg (≈2.24 Pa) and shows excellent durability and reliability after 6000 repeated loading and unloading cycles. What is more, the device can detect subtle pulse beat and monitor various human movement behaviors in real-time. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  20. Interaction of aluminum oxide nanoparticles with flow of polyvinyl alcohol solutions base nanofluids over a wedge

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hassan, Mohsan; Faisal, Abrar; Bhatti, Muhammad Mubashir

    2018-02-01

    Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is an important industrial chemical, which is used in numerous chemical engineering applications. It is important to study and predict the flow behavior of PVA solutions and the role of nanoparticles in heat transfer applications to be used in chemical processes on industrial scale. Therefore, the present study deals with the PVA solution-based non-Newtonian Al2O3-nanofluid flow along with heat transfer over wedge. The power-law model is used for this non-Newtonian nanofluid which exhibited shear-thinning behavior. The influences of PVA and nanoparticles concentrations on the characteristics of velocity and temperature profiles are examined graphically. The impacts of these parameters on wall shear stress and convective heat transfer coefficient are also studied through tabular form. During the numerical computations, the impacts of these parameters on flow index and consistency index along with other physical properties of nanofluid are also considered. In this study, we found an improvement in heat transfer and temperature profile of fluid by distribution of Al2O3 nanoparticles. It is also noticed that resistance between adjacent layers of moving fluid is enhanced due to these nanoparticles which leads to decline in velocity profile and increases in shear stress at wall.