Mechanical properties of an interpenetrating network poly(vinyl alcohol)/alginate hydrogel with hierarchical fibrous structures

Abstract

Bioinspired hierarchical fibrous structures were constructed in an interpenetrating poly(vinyl alcohol, PVA)/alginate hydrogel network to improve its mechanical properties. The interpenetrating hydrogel network with hierarchical fibrous structures was prepared by combining the confined drying method and freeze–thaw method. First, Ca²⁺ cross-linked alginate formed a nano–micro hierarchical fibrous structure via the confined drying method. Then, PVA that was uniformly distributed among the Ca²⁺–alginate chains was cross-linked by hydrogen bonding via the freeze–thaw method, further dividing the hierarchical fibers into finer fibers. The results of a tensile test demonstrated that both the tensile stress and fracture energy improved by more than double after the introduction of 2 wt% PVA, achieving a combination of high strength (∼12.9 MPa), high toughness (∼13.2 MJ m⁻³) and large strain (∼161.4%). Cyclic tensile tests showed that a hysteresis loop existed on the loading–unloading curves of the hydrogel along the fibrous directions, and a good self-recovery property emerged after resting for a period of time. The hydrogel with hierarchical fibrous structures constructed by alginate and PVA can be employed in biomedical applications in the future.