Construction of Cellulose/Carboxymethyl Chitosan Hydrogels for Potential Wound Dressing Application

Abstract In this study, novel cellulose/carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) composite hydrogels were constructed by blending cellulose and CMCS in LiOH/urea aqueous solutions, and then cross-linking with epichlorohydrin. The structure and morphology of the composite hydrogels were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WXRD), thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results revealed that the chemical cross-linking reaction between cellulose and CMCS occurred in the hydrogel, and CMCS contributed to the enhancement of pore size, whereas cellulose as a strong backbone in the hydrogel to support the pore wall. The mechanical strength of the composite hydrogels increased with the cellulose content, while the equilibrium swelling ratio and antibacterial activity increased with the CMCS content. The composite hydrogels had no cytotoxicity towards L929 cells, suggesting good biocompatibility. All these results indicate that cellulose/CMCS composite hydrogels can be effectively used as a material in wound dressing.