PVP-based hydrogels: Synthesis, properties and applications

Abstract

Hydrogels are three dimensionally crosslinked polymeric network which can retain a huge amount of water but do not dissolve in water. Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) is a synthetic polymer with good biocompatibility and transparency and with the action of different stimuli (radiation, heat, pressure, chemicals, etc.) undergoes crosslinking, and can form hydrogels. Due to their tissue compatibility and tissue like consistency, PVP hydrogels are very promising for different biomedical applications. However, because of inferior swelling capacity and poor mechanical property, the use of pure PVP hydrogels is limited. To overcome this problem, PVP is blended with different polysaccharides or other polymers according to requirement and from the standpoint of applications. This review article mainly focuses on different kinds of PVP based hydrogels; their modes of synthesis, properties and a range of applications of these blend hydrogels. © 2012 Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.