Hybrid Hydrogels Intended as Scaffolds for Soft Tissue Repair

This work describes the investigation of the properties of hydrogels based on methacrylamide-modified gelatin (GelMA) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) with potential applications in wound treatment. While the semi-natural polymer insures the biocompatibility and biodegradability of the synthesized materials, the synthetic polymer was selected due to its water affinity and interesting mechanical properties. The efficiency of the polymerization process and the stability of the PVP within the semi interpenetrated polymer network (semiIPN) were verified through gel fraction study. The water affinity, tensile strength and rheological properties of the hydrogels were also investigated.