The Development Study of a Prototype of Sodium Carboxymethylcellulose and Poly(Vinyl Alcohol) Wound Dressings Using a Mixer Torque Rheometer

Abstract

The search for new materials that serve as dressings and promote the proper means for wound healing, without yielding toxic waste to the wound bed and at low cost, is currently the subject of research. In this sense, the present study aimed to develop a prototype of a poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) polymeric film, sodium carboxymethylcellulose (NaCMC). PVA and NaCMC as miscible polymer blend films for wound dressings was developed using internal mixing chamber processing in a mix torque rheometer (MTR) without the use of binders or crosslinks in different mixing conditions that were investigated by thermal characteristics (differential scanning calorimetry (DSC)) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and crystallinity (X-ray Diffraction Technique (XRD)). The films obtained by pouring from this starting material were characterized by DSC, TGA, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), optical microscopy and swelling assay. All stages of development of this prototype are discussed, from the quality control of the raw materials, through the development of the preparation technique of the blends in 14 different processing conditions. The processed PVA/NaCMC film showed physical crosslinking which may have promoted its ability to resist dissolution in water (unprocessed PVA/NaCMC films’ characteristic). The results demonstrated that the processing of the PVA and NaCMC polymers in the MTR constitutes a viable technique to obtain membranes for use as dressings.