Bacterial Cellulose/Hyaluronic Acid Composites: Preparation and Characterization

Abstract

The preparation and characterization of bacterial cellulose (BC)/hyaluronic acid (HA) nanocomposites are presented in this paper. BC/HA composites have been prepared by solution immersion method, biosynthesis method, and crosslink method. HA concentration (1, 10, and 12.5 g/L) was used as a variable factor. These materials were characterized by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and X-ray Diffraction (XRD). And tensile strength and young’s modulus were tested for composites from solution immersion and biosynthesis. SEM graphs of the composites show that HA penetrated inside the cellulose network, filling the space of the network, and keeping a close interaction with the nanofibrils. FTIR spectra illustrate the integration of HA in the composites derived by solution immersion and crosslink method. The crystallinity index of all three composites was reduced slightly compared with pristine BC, known from XRD spectra. For composites from solution immersion and biosynthesis, the young’s modulus and tensile strength of BC/HA have been improved compared with the pure BC. This is due to the enhanced hydrogen bonds offered by the interaction between HA and BC. In summary, all the three methods can provide composites of BC and HA. Further, biocompatibility tests will be carried out to evaluate these materials in terms of the potential applications on the biomedical field.