Development of κ -Carrageenan Based Triple Network Hydrogels with Self-Healing Property

In this work, self-healing triple network (TN) hydrogels were synthesized via one pot synthesis using κ-Carrageenan (Car), polyacrylamide (PAAm) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). TN hydrogels were optimized with their self-healing ability bearing dynamic reversible non-covalent bonds such as hydrogen and metal-coordination. TN hydrogels were physically crosslinked via calcium ions during and after the preparation steps. The self-healing property of the TN hydrogels was determined by macroscopic observation at room temperature. The composition having Car; 0.1 g; AAm; 0.1 g and CaCl2: 0.5% displayed the best self-healing property. The chemical and morphological structure of TN hydrogel was characterized with FTIR and SEM measurements respectively. Moreover, cytotoxicity of different Car concentrations and cytocompatibility of best TN hydrogels were assessed by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay in L929 (mouse fibroblasts) cell lines. TN hydrogel showed high swelling capacity (240%) and assessed as not cytotoxic against fibroblast cells yielding a novel self-healing hydrogel for biomedical applications.