In-situ Synthesis and Characterization of Poly(vinyl alcohol)/Hydroxyapatite Composite Hydrogel by Freezing-thawing Method

Poly(vinyl alcohol)/hydroxyapatite(PVA/HA) composite hydrogel was successfully in-situ synthesized via three cycles of freezing-thawing. The composition and structure of products were investigated by X-ray diffraction(XRD), Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy(FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy(SEM). The influence of different preparation methods and contents of material on the mechanical properties of PVA/HA composite hydrogel was discussed through tensile and compressive tests. The template of PVA could avoid the agglomeration of HA particles, which improves the mechanical properties of the composite hydrogel effectively. The tensile strength, modulus and compressive performances of the PVA/HA composite hydrogel prepared by the in-situ synthesis method were better than those of hydrogel obtained by the simple blend method. In addition, the effect of the content of PVA, HA, and the pH value on the properties of the PVA/HA composite hydrogel has been discussed in detail.