Significant Characteristics of Medical-Grade Polymer Sheets and their Efficiency in Protecting Hydrogel Wound Dressings: A Soft Polymeric Biomaterial

Abstract

Hydrogel dressings are soft biomaterials that need protection from external influences. Polymer sheets such as breathable film (BF) or breathable laminate (BL) were characterized in respect of water vapor transmission, water contact angle, microbial penetrability, and antimicrobial property to protect hydrogel dressings. The mechanical property and water retention ability of hydogels PVP-CMC and PVP-CMC-BA with and without BF and BL have been examined. Hydrogels covered with either BF or BL show better mechanical flexibility; however, their water retention capacity increases reasonably. The determined efficient properties of polymer sheets established that BF is better than BL as a protective sheet cover for hydrogel dressings.

Keywords:

• antibacterial
• breathable
• hydrogel wound dressings
• moisture retention
• polymer sheet
• wettability

Acknowledgments

The authors are thankful to the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports of the Czech Republic (MSM 70088352101) for financial support. This article was also created with the partial support of the Operational Programme Research and Development for Innovation, co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and national budget of the Czech Republic within the framework of the Centre of Polymer Systems project (reg. number: CZ.1.05/2.1.00/03.0111).