Nanomagnetic Poly(vinyl alcohol) Hydrogels

Abstract

Surface modified magnetic nanoparticles (M-NPs) were synthetized and stabilized in poly (vinyl-alcohol) solution. The solutions with various magnetic nanoparticles contents were gamma-irradiated and magnetic poly (vinyl-alcohol) (M-PVA) hydrogels were synthesized. The magnetic hydrogels and also the un-irradiated magnetic poly (vinyl alcohol) nanocomposite films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and mechanical measurement. The M-NPs were uniformly dispersed in the polymer matrix due to a strong interaction between the surface-modified M-NPs and polymer matrix. Physical properties of the M-PVA hydrogels, including gel fraction and equilibrium water content were measured to evaluate the applicability of these hydrogels for biomedical applications. XRD, FTIR and VSM results indicated that there are important changes in crystalline, chemical and magnetic properties of hydrogels, arising from irradiation.