Synthesis and Characterization of Reinforced Poly(ethylene glycol)/Chitosan Hydrogel as Wound Dressing Materials

Abstract PEG is used to reinforce chitosan‐based hydrogels through the formation of ester and amide linkages. The reinforced PEG/chitosan (RPC) hydrogels exhibit significant enhancements in tensile modulus and elongation compared with neat chitosan. Other properties are thoroughly investigated and indicate that the physicochemical and in vitro degradation properties of the RPC hydrogels depend on the amount and molecular weight of the PEG. The RPC hydrogels can control evaporative water loss at a suitable rate to maintain a moist environment. In terms of in vitro biological properties, 3T3 fibroblasts show good viability with the RPC hydrogels, which indicates that the RPC hydrogels may be used as wound dressing materials. magnified image