Polyvinyl alcohol/carboxymethyl chitosan hydrogel loaded with silver nanoparticles exhibited antibacterial and self-healing properties.

Hydrogel materials are gradually increasing research in biological aspects due to their unique properties. In order to prepare hydrogels with the potential to be used in clinical wound therapy, the authors prepared a bifunctional hydrogel with antibacterial and self-healing properties. The hydrogel was composed of borax cross-linked polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS), which realizes self-healing between polymers through hydrogen bonds and borate ester bonds. The double cross-linking of hydrogen bonds and borate ester bonds also endows the hydrogel with better mechanical properties (toughness and tensile stress can reach 22.30 MJ/m and 70.35 KPa, respectively). On this basis, adding highly stable silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) to the hydrogel can effectively inhibit the growth of E. coli and S. aureus. This idea provides the possibility for the application of hydrogels in the process of biological wound healing.