Wound dressing on the base of polymer nanocomposites

A novel mineral-containing composition on the based superabsorbent polymer hydrogel network was synthesized through chemical crosslinking by radical copolymerization of acrylamide (AA) and acrylic acid (AAc), N,N´-methylene-bis-acrylamide (MBA) as crosslinker and OXRED system: ammonium persulfate - N,N,N´,N´-tetramethylethylenediamine (TMED) as initiator. The montmorillonite modified by silver particles was used as filler. Influence of filler dispersion, silver concentration, synthesis conditions of a polymeric matrix on sorption characteristics of wound coverings was studied. The water absorption capacity of the hydrogel was in the range of 150 - 200g/g after immersion in distilled water for 48 h. The enhanced thermal stability of the hydrogel composition was confirmed by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The structures of the copolymers were confirmed by FTIR. Furthermore, antimicrobial and prolonged actions of acrylic polymer nanocomposites with silver ions were studied. The results showed that the hydrogel mineral-containing composite could be considered as a potential wound-dressing material.