Synthesis and characterization of polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel

Ability of the hydrogels to absorb and retain fluids and bioactive materials made them the centre of attraction for researchers. Physiochemical properties (e.g. swelling, ionic strength etc) of a hydrogel can be changed by varying the concentration of crosslinker and by crosslinker itself. These changes are exploited for various purposes such as controlled and sustained drug delivery systems, biosensors etc. We have crosslinked polyvinyl alcohol chemically with different acid crosslinkers such as maleic acid, maleic anhydride, citric acid and tartaric acid. Effect of crosslinking ratio on swelling of hydrogels in different pH solution including water has been studied. Besides that FTIR of the hydrogels reveal the chemical changes during crosslinking. Biocompatibility of hydrogels was evaluated through MTT assay.