Antimicrobial and Mechanical Properties of Ag@Ti3C2Tx-Modified PVA Composite Hydrogels Enhanced with Quaternary Ammonium Chitosan

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is a polymeric material with good biocompatibility, excellent hydrophilicity, and a large number of hydroxyl groups. However, due to its insufficient mechanical properties and poor inhibition of bacteria, it has a lack of applications in wound dressings, stent materials, and other fields. In this study, a simple method was used to prepare composite gel materials: Ag@MXene-HACC-PVA hydrogels with a double-network structure were prepared using an acetal reaction. Due to the double cross-linked interaction, the hydrogel has good mechanical properties and is resistant to swelling. The adhesion and bacterial inhibition were enhanced due to the addition of HACC. In addition, the strain sensing properties of this conductive hydrogel were stable, and the GF (specification factor) was 1.7617 at 40-90% strain. Therefore, the dual-network hydrogel with excellent sensing properties, adhesion properties, antibacterial properties, and cytocompatibility has potential applications in biomedical materials, especially as a tissue engineering repair material.

Automated summary

In this study, composite gel materials with a double-network structure, Ag@MXene-HACC-PVA hydrogels, were prepared using a simple method. These hydrogels demonstrated excellent mechanical properties, resistance to swelling, and antibacterial properties, making them suitable for biomedical applications.