Physico-chemical investigation of a three-component hydrogel from tragacanth, chitosan, and alginate activated by cold plasma technology

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 University of Guilan

2 Azad University

Abstract

Hypothesis: Natural hydrogels, owing to their biocompatibility and high moisture absorption capacity, are widely recognized as suitable candidates for wound healing applications. Surface activation of hydrogels using cold plasma technology, through the increasing of polar oxygen containing functional groups, significantly improves surface hydrophilicity. These physicochemical modifications promote enhanced interactions between the hydrogel surface and the biological environment, thereby improving their overall performance in biomedical applications. In this project, the main goal is to fabricate a super-hydrophilic hydrogel layer based on polysaccharides by employing cold plasma surface modification.
Methods: 2% wt/v of tragacanth (Tg), alginate (Alg), and chitosan (Cs) solutions were prepared, then two-component and three-component solutions were fabricated in different mass ratios. To provide a proper crosslinking for three-component hydrogel, two different cross-linkers of calcium chloride and tannic acid were used. After molding and drying, the surface of the hydrogels was modified using cold plasma technology. For the physicochemical characterization of the hydrogels, scanning electron microscopy, contact angle, swelling, gel content, mechanical strength, and FTIR-ATR spectroscopy tests were carried out.
Findings: The three-component hydrogel of Tg/Alg/Cs (1/1/1), cross linked by tannic acid and modified by cold plasma treatment, was selected as optimum hydrogel. Plasma treatment markedly enhanced surface hydrophilicity, reducing the water contact angle from about 76° to 20°. The tensile testing showed a reduction in mechanical strength from about 1.82 Mpa for non-treated hydrogel to 0.62 MPa for plasma-treated hydrogel. The result of FTIR ATR confirmed the enhancement of hydrogen-bonding among functional groups and activating of amides in hydrogel surfaces treated by cold plasma. Overall, the plasma activated three-component hydrogel could be introduced as a promising candidate for wound healing applications

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Iranian Journal of Polymer Science and Technology

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 28 June 2026

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