Preparation and characterization of poly(vinyl alcohol) cryogel-silver nanocomposites and evaluation of blood compatibility, cytotoxicity, and antimicrobial behaviors

In this investigation, cryogels composed of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) were prepared by repeated freeze‐thaw method. The prepared cryogels served as templates for producing highly stable and uniformly distributed silver nanoparticles via in situ reduction of silver nitrate (AgNO3) using alkaline formaldehyde solution as reducing agent. The structure of the PVA/Ag cryogel nanocomposites was characterized by a Fourier transform infrared and Raman spectroscopy. The morphologies of pure PVA cryogels and PVA/Ag nanocomposites were observed by a scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. The SEM analysis suggested that cryogels show a well defined porous morphology whereas TEM micrographs revealed the presence of nearly spherical and well separated Ag nanoparticles with diameter about 100 nm. XRD results showed all relevant Bragg's reflections for crystal structure of silver nanoparticles. The amount of silver in cryogel nanocomposites and thermal stability were determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP‐AES) and thermogravimetric analysis measurements. Mechanical properties of nanocomposites were observed in terms of tensile strength. The antibacterial studies of the synthesized nanosilver containing cryogels showed good antibacterial activity against both gram‐negative and gram‐positive bacteria. The prepared PVA/Ag nanocomposites were also investigated for swelling and deswelling behaviors. The results reveal that both the swelling and deswelling process depends on the chemical composition of the cryogel silver nanocomposites, number of freeze‐Thaw cycles and pH and temperature of the swelling medium. The biocompatibility of the prepared nanocomposites was judged by in vitro methods of percent hemolysis and protein (BSA) adsorption. POLYM. COMPOS., 36:1983–1997, 2015. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineer