Influence of temperature, pH and simulated biological solutions on swelling and structural properties of biomineralized (CaCO3) PVP–CMC hydrogel

Abstract: Biomaterials having stimuli response are interesting in the biomedical field. This paper reports about swelling response and internalstructural of biomineralized (CaCO3) polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) hydrogel having various thicknesses (0.1–0.4 mm). Samples were tested in aqueous solution using temperature ranges from 10 to 40 °C; pH varies from 4 to 9, time 60 min. In addition, an experiment was conducted in the presence of simulated biological solutions (SBS): glucose (GS), physiological fluid (PS) and urea (US) at temperature 37 °C and pH 7.5 for 180 min. It is noticed that the maximum swelling ratio reached in 30–40 °C at pH 7 in aqueous solution. Among biological fluids, the swelling ratio shows: US > PS > GS at temperature 37 °C, pH 7.5, time 150 min. The equilibrium swelling ratio of the test sample in SBS and their non-reformative apparent structure confirm that biomineralized (CaCO3) PVP–CMC hydrogel can be acclaimed for medical application like bone tissue engineering. Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.] © 2015, The Author(s).