Microwave-assisted synthesis of kC/Xylan/PVP-based blend hydrogel materials: physicochemical and rheological studies

Hydrogel systems composed of kC/Xylan (kC/OSX or kC/BX) blends and linear polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) were prepared in the presence of water soluble initiator sodium persulphate (KPS) with microwave irradiation. The hydrogel materials were investigated by measuring their syneresis, swelling, gel fraction, and rheological properties. Physicochemical and rheological properties of the natural polysaccharide (kC/Xylans) blends were modified significantly after blending with PVP. The introduction of PVP and the formation of semi-interpenetrating polymer network (semi-IPN) structure improved the gelling properties of the resulting hydrogels. It has been proven, that a high incorporation of PVP could only be obtained if the hydrogels were prepared using KPS initiator and microwave irradiation in combination. FTIR, CP-MAS C-13 NMR, and elemental analysis confirmed the presence of PVP in the blends but no direct evidence for covalent bonds could be obtained.