Development of pectin based hydrogel membranes for biomedical applications

Abstract

This paper reports the development of pectin/PVP/glycine based hydrogel membranes for biomedical applications. The membranes were prepared by conventional solution casting method. The prepared hydrogel membranes were characterized by, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X ray diffraction (XRD), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Mechanical properties of developed membranes were evaluated by tensile strength test. The FTIR spectra of hydrogel membranes show presence of strong intermolecular interactions between pectin, PVP and glycine. The XRD study reveals the decrease in crystallinity of blend membranes with increase in PVP ratios. The mechanical properties study shows that the tensile strength (TS) of membranes increase with PVP ratios in the blend membranes but slight variation in elongation at break (EB) was observed. The swelling studies on the hydrogel membrane show higher swelling under simulated intestinal conditions (pH 7.4). SEM analysis of the hydrogel shows the porous nature of the blend hydrogel. The experimental result suggests that these membranes could be used for various biomedical applications.