Physical characterization, biocompatibility, and antimicrobial activity of polyvinyl alcohol/sodium alginate blend...

The ability of wound dressing materials to tackle skin pathogens colonization that is associated with open wound infections is limited. Recently, green-synthesized metal oxide nanoparticles has received a lot of attention to overcome this limitation. However, titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO₂-NPs) exhibit exceptional antibacterial properties. In this work, several concentrations (0, 1, 3, and 5 wt.%) of TiO₂ NPs prepared using Aloe vera leaf extract were added to a blend of polyvinyl alcohol and sodium alginate (PVA:SA). This nanocomposite was designed to enhance the healing process of wounds. The interaction between the PVA:SA composite and the TiO₂ NPs was confirmed by FTIR. The thermal behavior of the nanocomposite films was investigated using DSC and TGA. The experimental results indicate that the glass transition temperatures of the nanocomposites increased by increasing the added amount of TiO₂ NPs to be 53.7 °C (1 wt.%), 55.8 °C (3 wt.%), and 60.6 °C (5 wt.%), which were consistently lower than the glass transition temperature of the matrix material (69.6 °C). The Dynamic Mechanical Analysis was examined. The nanocomposite doped with 5 wt.% of TiO₂ NPs detected a high storage modulus (21.6 × 10⁸). Based on swelling and degradation studies, the prepared PVA:SA:TiO₂ nanocomposite films have an excellent swelling rate, and the inclusion of TiO₂ NPs increases the stability of the polymeric matrix. The PVA:SA:TiO₂ nanocomposite films exhibited a superior antibacterial efficacy against Gram-positive bacteria such as Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus, compared to their effectiveness against Gram-negative bacteria like Escherichia coli. Moreover, the nanocomposite films were biocompatible with Human Skin Fibroblast. Therefore, the developed PVA:SA:TiO₂ nanocomposite films suit wound dressing applications.