Novel biocompatible Cu2+-containing composite hydrogels based on bacterial cellulose and poly-1-vinyl-1,2,4-triazole

Novel composite hydrogels representing interpenetrating polymeric networks (IPN) have been synthesized and consisted of Gluconacetobacter xylinus cellulose (GxC) and poly-1-vinyl-1,2,4-triazole (PVT) with Cu2⁺. The composite hydrogels’ mesostructure has been studied from 1.6 ​nm to 2.5 ​μm by small-angle and ultra-small-angle neutron scattering methods. It has been found that IPN complexes have three types of inhomogeneities: GxC, PVT, and PVT complex with Cu2⁺. The amount of the absorbed ions can be tuned as confirmed by electron paramagnetic spectroscopy. Besides, three hierarchy levels of GxC remained in the supramolecular structure of composite hydrogels. Reveling structure formation in these composite hydrogels is essential in fabricating hybrid polymeric materials for regenerative medicine, involving antibacterial or antifungal applications

Composite Hydrogels Based on Bacterial Cellulose and Poly-1-vinyl-1,2,4-triazole/Phosphoric Acid: Supramolecular Structure as Studied by Small Angle Scattering

New composite hydrogels (CH) based on bacterial cellulose (BC) and poly-1-vinyl-1,2,4-triazole (PVT) doped with orthophosphoric acid (oPA), presenting interpenetrating polymeric networks (IPN), have been synthesized. The mesoscopic study of the supramolecular structure (SMS) of both native cellulose, produced by the strain Komagataeibacter rhaeticus, and the CH based on BC and containing PVT/oPA complex were carried out in a wide range of momentum transfer using ultra- and classical small-angle neutron scattering techniques. The two SMS hierarchical levels were revealed from 1.6 nm to 2.5 μm for the objects under investigation. In addition, it was shown that the native BC had a correlation peak on the small-angle scattering curves at 0.00124 Å−1, with the correlation length ξ being equal to ca. 510 nm. This motive was also retained in the IPN. The data obtained allowed the estimation of the fractal dimensions and ranges of self-similarity and gave new information about the BC mesostructure and its CH. Furthermore, we revealed them to be in coincidence with Brown’s BC model, which was earlier supported by Fink’s results