Electrical behavior of polymer hydrogel composed of poly(vinyl alcohol)/hyaluronic acid in solution

Interpenetrating polymer networks (IPN) composed of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and hyaluronic acid (HA) were prepared and exhibited electrical sensitive behavior. The swelling behavior of the PVA/HA IPN was studied by immersion of the gel in aqueous NaCl solutions at various concentrations and pHs. Also, the stimuli response of the PVA/HA IPN in electric fields was investigated. When swollen IPN was placed between a pair of electrodes, the PVA/HA IPN exhibited bending behavior upon the application of an electric field. The PVA/HA IPN also showed stepwise bending behavior depending on the electric stimulus. Also, for using biomedical application, the bending behavior of PVA/HA IPN has been studied in hank’s solution at pH 7.4