Effects of solvent dehydration on creep resistance of poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel

As a synthetic replacement material for osteochondral defect repair, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogels offer a great potential due to their high water content and strong mechanical integrity. To survive the high stress environment in the joint space, high creep resistance becomes one of the key requirements for hydrogel implants. We hypothesized that reducing the equilibrium water content (EWC) of hydrogels would improve their creep resistance. We investigated the effect of dehydration of PVA theta-gels in various solvent/solution media followed by rehydration in saline solution. Decreasing EWC increased the creep resistance of PVA theta-gels. The most effective medium was isopropyl alcohol for reducing the EWC and increasing the creep resistance of PVA theta-gels.